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. 2003 Jun 21;27(4):240–243. doi: 10.1007/s00264-003-0466-5

Ulnar variance and the role of joint levelling procedure for Kienböck's disease

Keiichi Muramatsu 1,, Koichiro Ihara 1, Shinya Kawai 1, Kazuteru Doi 2
PMCID: PMC3458477  PMID: 12827300

Abstract

Forty patients with Kienböck's disease were reviewed to determine the relationship between ulnar variance and the development of Kienböck's disease in a Japanese cohort. The joint levelling procedures designed to correct ulnar variance were evaluated in 11 patients after a mean of 9.7 years following surgery. The mean ulnar variance was 0.50±1.67 in patients with Kienböck's disease and 0.56±1.76 in a control group. The onset of wrist symptoms in a younger age group was noticed after sports injuries, whereas older patients had no distinct history of trauma. Joint levelling procedures produced good clinical results, but carpal height ratio, Stahl's index and radioscaphoid angle were not improved, as evidenced radiographically. Our study suggests that in a Japanese cohort ulnar minus variance is not an important factor in the aetiology of Kienböck's disease. Although joint levelling procedures improved the clinical results, they did not reverse lunate collapse or carpal alignment.

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