Kienböck’s Disease

This chapter presents a clinical scenario of a 17-year-old boy who is presents with a two-year history of pain, swelling, and stiffness in his wrist. He has failed nonoperative treatment for over a year and wants to know whether there is any other treatment available for him. Kienbock’s disease is a rare condition. Radial shortening osteotomy has been described as a means of correcting negative ulnar variance - which is thought to be a morphological risk factor for the development of Kienbock’s disease. Arthroscopic treatment is a minimally invasive method of treating Kienbock’s disease and may have advantages such as accelerated rehabilitation and avoidance of extra-articular adhesions. Arthroscopy is regarded as the gold standard for assessment of the articular surfaces as it allows direct visualization and probing. The chapter also provides recommendations for implementing evidence-based practice in the clinical setting.