Abstract
Aims:There is little published on the clinical impact of radial styloidectomy, although resultant instability has been studied in cadaveric models. Methods: Over a ten-year period 31 patients had a radial styloidectomy performed within the Upper Limb Unit. The surgery was performed arthroscopically in 22 patients and via an open approach in 9 cases. A retrospective review of the arthroscopically managed patients is presented. There were 4 females and 18 males with an average follow up of 13.1 months (range 6–53 months) and an average age of 35.4 years (range 18–64). The underlying condition treated was scaphoid non-union in 11 cases, scapholunate collapse in 7, primary osteoarthritis in 3, and one each of scaphoid avascular necrosis and Keinbochñs disease with a SLAC wrist.
Patients were independently clinically reviewed or completed a wrist assessment questionnaire. The outcome was good or satisfactory in 75% of cases and unsatisfactory in the other 25%. Surgery had been carried out in 13.4% (3 patients) previously and all these patients had a satisfactory outcome. In those patients with a poor outcome, the average time to failure or further surgery was 9 months. Conclusions:Arthroscopic radial styloidectomy is a simple procedure with low morbidity. In patients with localised radial styloid impingement it can reliably provide lasting symptomatic relief in the majority of patients.
Theses abstracts were prepared by Professor Dr. Frantz Langlais. Correspondence should be addressed to him at EFORT Central Office, Freihofstrasse 22, CH-8700 Küsnacht, Switzerland.
