Abstract
Injuries to the scapholunate joint are the most frequent cause of carpal instability
and account for a considerable degree of wrist dysfunction and lost time from work
and activities. The complex arrangement and kinematics of the 2 rows of carpal bones
allows for an enormous degree of physiologic motion, and a hierarchy of primary and
secondary ligaments serve to balance an inherently unstable structure. Although insufficient
to cause abnormal carpal posture or collapse on static radiographs, an isolated injury
to the scapholunate interosseous ligament may be the harbinger of a relentless progression
to abnormal joint mechanics, cartilage wear, and degenerative change. Once disrupted,
ligament repair methods and reconstructive options seldom serve to restore this delicately
balanced design. Treatment options are predicated on the stage of injury, degree of
secondary ligamentous damage, and arthritic change. Copyright © 2001 by the American
Society for Surgery of the Hand
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Hand SurgeryAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
References
- In vivo scaphoid, lunate and capitate kinematics in wrist flexion and extension.J Hand Surg {Am}. 2000; 25A: 860-869
- Traumatic instability of the wrist.J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1972; 54A: 1262-1267
- Constraint and material properties of the subregions of the scapholunate interosseous ligament.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1999; 24A: 953-962
- Radiocarpal articular contact characteristics with scaphoid instability.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1989; 14: 781-790
- The scaphotrapezial ligament complex: an anatomic and biomechanical study.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1985; 10: 492-498
- The dorsal ligaments of the wrist: anatomy, mechanical properties, and function.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1999; 24A: 456-468
- Concepts governing the rotational shift of the intercalated segment of the carpus.Orthop Clin North Am. 1984; 15: 193-207
- The mechanical anatomy of the carpus and its bearings on some surgical problems.J Anat. 1941; 74: 166-176
- Radiographic analysis of selective ligament sectioning at the carpal scaphoid: a cadaver study.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1990; 15: 855-862
- A dynamic biomechanical study of scapholunate ligament sectioning.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1995; 20: 986-999
- Post-traumatic carpal instability.Clin Orthop. 1980; 149: 73-82
- Rotary subluxation of the scaphoid: a spectrum of instability.J Hand Surg {Br}. 1993; 18: 62-64
- Rotatory subluxation of the scaphoid revisited.Hand Clin. 2000; 16: 417-431
- Definition of carpal instability.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1999; 24A: 866-867
- Carpal dislocations: pathomechanics and progressive perilunar instability.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1980; 5: 226-241
- The SLAC wrist: scapholunate advanced collapse pattern of degenerative arthritis.J Hand Surg. 1984; 9A: 358-365
- Scaphocapitate alignment: criterion to establish a neutral lateral view of the wrist.Radiology. 1997; 205: 865-869
- Kinematics of the scaphoid shift test.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1997; 22: 801-806
- Dynamic scapholunate instability: results of operative treatment with dorsal capsulodesis.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1995; 20A: 971-979
- Treatment of scapholunate dissociation by ligamentous repair and capsulodesis.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1992; 17A: 354-359
- Attempted scapholunate arthrodesis for chronic scapholunate dissociation.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1991; 16: 334-339
- A new technique to correct carpal instability with scaphoid rotary subluxation: a preliminary report.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1995; 20: S82-S85
- Intercarpal arthrodesis.Arch Surg. 1967; 95: 127-134
- Scapho-trapezio-trapezoid arthrodesis for treatment of chronic static and dynamic scapho-lunate instability: a 10-year perspective on pitfalls and complications.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1990; 15: 408-414
- Evaluation of the biomechanical efficacy of limited intercarpal fusions for the treatment of scapho-lunate dissociation.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1990; 15: 120-128
- Motion-preserving procedures in the treatment of scapholunate advanced collapse wrist: proximal row carpectomy versus four-corner arthrodesis.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1995; 20A: 965-970
- Surgical treatment of scapholunate advanced collapse.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1994; 19A: 751-759
- Carpal fractures and dislocations.in: Clinical Orthopedics. Lippincott, Philadelphia1999: 30
- Observer variability in measurements of carpal bone angles on lateral wrist radiographs.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1991; 16: 893-898
- The Wrist. Raven Press, New York1984
Further reading
- Scapholunate ligament reconstruction using a bone-retinaculum-bone autograft.J Hand Surg {Am}. 1998; 23A: 205-215
Article info
Publication history
1531-0914/01/0101-0004$35.00/0
Identification
Copyright
© 2001 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
