OPS-Code 5-789.1b:

The growth of the one or more metacarpal bones was temporarily slowed down by an operation.

The hand is made up of a lot of small bones and joints. The hand can be divided into 3 sections. The wrist (carpus) is directly connected to the forearm. Then comes the metacarpus and then the individual fingers. The metacarpus forms the palm of the hand and the back of the hand. It consists of the longish metacarpal bones. There is one metacarpal bone for each finger.

The operation was performed on one or more growth plates of the bones. There are growth plates in the long bones in the arms and legs, and the long bones in the hands and feet. There is a growth plate at each end of these bones. In children and adolescents, bone growth originates from the growth plates of the respective bones.

During the operation, a specialized device is typically inserted near the growth plates. These specialized devices can be screws or plates, for example. This makes it possible to slow down the further growth of the metacarpal bones for a certain period of time. The device used can be removed later on. The metacarpal bones can then continue to grow.