Mallet-Like Distal Phalanx Base Injuries in Children and Adolescents: A PRISMA-ScR Scoping Review and a Proposed, Unvalidated Phenotype-Based Assessment Framework

Background/Objectives: A mallet-like posture in a child or adolescent can represent a closed tendon or dorsal avulsion injury, but it may instead signal a physeal or juxtaphyseal distal-phalanx fracture that communicates with the nail unit. We mapped the diagnostic and management evidence and developed a proposed phenotype-based assessment framework whose clinical performance has not been validated.