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Background: Acute scapholunate ligament injuries (SLIs) can occur in distal radial fractures (DRFs). This systematic review compares patient-reported outcomes and range of motion (ROM) between operative and nonoperative treatment of acute SLIs in association with surgical fixation of DRFs. We hypothesize that there is no clinical difference., Methods: A meta-analysis was used to evaluate the effectiveness of SLI repair versus no repair occurring with DRF with Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) scores. We identified 154 articles of which 14 were eligible for review. Only 7 studies reported sufficient radiographic or clinical outcomes data and were included: 3 for meta-analysis and 4 underwent narrative analysis due to lack of homogeneity. We analyzed the patients in 2 groups: operative SLI (O-SLI) versus nonoperative SLI (NO-SLI). The primary outcomes were ROM and DASH scores with 1-year follow-up, where a pooled effect size was generated to determine a difference between groups., Results: A total of 128 patients were included (71 O-SLI and 57 NO-SLI), with a mean follow-up of 70.2 months (SD: 23.5). The overall effect size for ROM for flexion was 1.74 (95% confidence interval [CI], -3.48 to 6.95; P = .51) and for extension was 0.79 (95% CI, -3.41 to 4.99; P = .71), while the overall effect size for DASH scores was -0.28 (95% CI, -0.66 to 0.10; P = .14). Although NO-SLI led to better ROM and O-SLI led to lower DASH scores, these were not significantly different., Conclusion: The acute surgical intervention of a scapholunate interosseous ligament injury is no different from conservative management in the setting of acute DRFs undergoing osteosynthesis. But the sample size for pooed analyses was small, hence the evidence to date is low to recommend either way., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Widening of the scapholunate (SL) interval greater than 2 mm is diagnostic of an injury in adults; however, this absolute number cannot be used for skeletally immature individuals due to the ossification of the carpal bones. The purpose of this study was to determine age-appropriate normative values for the radiographic SL interval in the skeletally immature population., Methods: Normal pediatric wrist radiographs were identified. The radiographic SL interval was measured as the distance between the scaphoid and the lunate at the mid-joint space between the scaphoid and the lunate, and the SL and capitolunate angles were measured on lateral views. An initial inter-rater reliability assessment was completed with strong inter-rater reliability., Results: In all, 529 radiographic series of children (276 male), aged 4 to 17 years, were reviewed. A negative linear correlation between chronological age and distance at the mid-joint space was observed. The average values for the radiographic SL interval ranged from 9.07 to 1.57 mm. The average SL and capitolunate angles were 52.0° and 10.6°, respectively. No linear relationship was found between chronological age and SL or capitolunate angle ( R = 0.07 and 0.03, respectively)., Conclusions: The visible radiographic distance between the scaphoid and the lunate decreases with increasing age as the carpal bones ossify. The normative values defined in this study can be used to determine whether a true widening of the SL interval is present in the pediatric population. No linear relationship exists between chronological age and SL or capitolunate angle., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: J.A.M. consults for Axogen and Medartis, has royalties with Springer, and is on committees for pediatric orthopaedic society of North America (POSNA), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), and American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH). The remaining authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Background: The objective of this study was to examine the effect of wrist rotation on the scapholunate interval in the posteroanterior radiograph and to identify radiographic landmarks on the posteroanterior projection that can be used to assess position., Methods: Eleven healthy cadaveric wrists were radiographed in the neutral position and subsequently were rotated and imaged from 30° pronation to 30° supination in 10° intervals. At each interval, the scapholunate interval was measured as well as the following landmarks: (1) the visible perimeter of the base of the hook of the hamate; (2) the radial-ulnar distribution of the dorsal nonarticular surface of the distal third metacarpal head; (3) the radial-ulnar distribution of the pisiform about the longitudinal axis of the ulna; and (4) the overlap of the pisiform and triquetrum., Results: The scapholunate interval was largest in the neutral position and linearly decreased by 34% for every 10° of pronation and decreased nonlinearly by 86% after the first 10° of supination. The appearance of the distal third metacarpal head was shown to be sensitive to both pronation and supination. The perimeter of the hook of the hamate and the distribution of the pisiform compared to the ulna were both shown to be sensitive to supination, whereas overlap of the pisiform and triquetrum was not shown to be sensitive to either direction of rotation., Conclusions: Our results highlight the significant effect of rotation on radiographic landmarks at the wrist, indicating that 10° of supination can drastically alter the developed radiograph., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Background: Scaphoid excision and 4-corner fusion is a standard procedure for advanced carpal collapse. The purpose of this study was to evaluate its effectiveness using a specific designed locking plate of the latest generation., Methods: Between October 2012 and December 2015, 12 patients underwent this procedure using the Flower (KLS Martin Group, Tuttlingen, Germany) circular locking plate. The surgical technique is standardized. Three patients were affected by a scapholunate advanced collapse and 9 patients by a scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse. All patients underwent a computed tomographic scan to study the real achievement of the fusion., Results: Only 2 patients did not show complete fusion. All the patients with successful fusion returned to previous work and manual activities., Conclusions: Four-corner arthrodesis with circular locking plate is an alternative surgical treatment for carpal arthritic collapse.

Background: Four-corner fusion has been shown to be a reliable option of treatment of wrist arthritis, but there is no consensus about which implant and surgical procedure should be used in the arthrodesis. The present study aimed to describe a surgical technique using 2 crossed screws as implants, inserted in a retrograde manner, and to demonstrate preliminary results of the use of the technique., Methods: A retrospective study was conducted using medical records and imaging tests (radiographs and computed tomography) of all 15 patients who underwent a standardized 4-corner fusion technique, between December 2011 and July 2015, in the Department of Hand Surgery of Instituto Nacional de Traumatologia e Ortopedia (INTO), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We collected data on the following variables: fusion rate, time to fusion, and percentage of patients who had any complications or needed another surgical procedure on the same wrist., Results: All but one patient achieved fusion of arthrodesis. The average time to union was 5.54 months (SD = 3.84). Only the patient who developed nonunion of the 4-corner fusion required another surgery on the same wrist., Conclusions: The procedure described in this study demonstrated a low complication rate and high fusion rate, and can therefore be considered a reliable surgical technique for 4-corner fusion.

Background: Wrist hemiarthroplasty has emerged as a motion-sparing option for severe wrist arthritis. It is technically easy with advantages of limited bone resection and no risk of nonunion. Given the relative infancy of the procedure in clinical practice, there are limited data on patient outcomes., Methods: Eleven patients were treated with wrist reconstructive hemiarthroplasty. Indications included 1 patient with scaphoid nonunion advanced collapse, 9 patients with scapholunate advanced collapse, and 1 patient with capitolunate arthritis. Average age was 63 years; average follow-up was 4 years. Objective parameters included Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (DASH), grip strength, and range of motion. Implant failure defined by necessity of revision procedure., Results: DASH scores initially improved postoperatively but were not statistically significant. Grip strength was 60% of contralateral side. Postoperative range of motion at 6 months was flexion 40.3°, extension 39.3°, supination 87.0°, pronation 77.8°, radial deviation 14.5°, and ulnar deviation 13.8°. A 45% failure rate was observed. Complications included failure with conversion to Total Wrist Arthroplasty (TWA; n = 2) or wrist fusion (n = 3) secondary to development of ulnar-sided wrist pain. One additional patient experienced severe wrist pain but declined additional surgery., Conclusions: Wrist hemiarthroplasty in our series had a significant failure rate. In each case of failure, the patient developed ulnar-sided wrist pain. In the presence of more reliable procedures, wrist hemiarthroplasty is not indicated in its current incarnation.