ABSTRACT
Background@#Previous literatures suggest that the prognosis of Kienböck’s disease might be favorable despite no surgery if it is diagnosed in late age, but the evidence is not clear. The aim of this study was to determine the radiographic and clinical progression of Kienböck’s disease diagnosed at more than 50 years of age. @*Methods@#Data of 27 patients diagnosed with Kienböck’s disease at more than 50 years of age between 2000 and 2016 were investigated. During the study period, no treatment, either surgical or nonsurgical, was applied. We explained to the patients that the affected lunate was not expected to collapse further if found late in age. Annual visits were recommended, through which radiographic and clinical observation was made. We assessed changes in Stahl index and radioscaphoid angle between the initial assessment and the final follow-up, and clinical assessment was made using pain in visual analog scale (VAS) and Dornan’s criteria. @*Results@#Initially, 2 patients were in Lichtman stage 1, 6 in stage 2, 5 in stage 3A, 11 in stage 3B, and 3 in stage 4. Radiographic follow-up of at least 5 years (mean, 7.8 years) was made in 14 patients, whose Stahl index and radioscaphoid angle did not differ significantly from their initial measurements. Arthritic appearance was not found, and progression in the Lichtman stage was detected in 1 lunate, from 3A to 3B. Despite no surgical treatment for an average of 7.5 years (range, 5.0–15.7 years) of observation period in the 27 patients, average pain in VAS improved from 3.5 (range, 1–7) to 0.8 (range, 0–2), with excellent or good clinical status by Dornan’s criteria. @*Conclusions@#Our study suggests that Kienböck’s disease diagnosed at more than 50 years of age can follow a benign natural course in radiographic and clinical aspects. Therefore, surgical interventions should be considered carefully in this age group.
ABSTRACT
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can cause significant hand and wrist damage and dysfunction. The aim of medical treatment is to eradicate inflammation and prevent damage to joints and soft tissues. Advances in newer biological therapies over the last two decades have resulted in greater remission rates and lower disease activity status. Despite these improvements, surgical intervention is still indicated in cases of disability, irreversible deformities, and severe pain. However, there are large variations in the surgical rates of common rheumatoid hand procedures, which may indicate clinical uncertainty or disagreement between treating rheumatologists and hand surgeons. In this review, we provide a basic overview of common problems of the hand and wrist in RA patients. The target audience is rheumatologists for their better understanding of surgical options and for better informed patient consultation before referring to hand surgeons.
ABSTRACT
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can cause significant hand and wrist damage and dysfunction. The aim of medical treatment is to eradicate inflammation and prevent damage to joints and soft tissues. Advances in newer biological therapies over the last two decades have resulted in greater remission rates and lower disease activity status. Despite these improvements, surgical intervention is still indicated in cases of disability, irreversible deformities, and severe pain. However, there are large variations in the surgical rates of common rheumatoid hand procedures, which may indicate clinical uncertainty or disagreement between treating rheumatologists and hand surgeons. In this review, we provide a basic overview of common problems of the hand and wrist in RA patients. The target audience is rheumatologists for their better understanding of surgical options and for better informed patient consultation before referring to hand surgeons.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of hip arthroscopy including extensive capsulectomy for synovial chondromatosis of the hip. METHODS: From 2008 to 2016, 13 patients with synovial chondromatosis of the hip were treated with arthroscopic removal of loose bodies and synovectomy using three arthroscopic portals. An extensive capsulectomy was performed to allow the remaining loose bodies to be out of the extracapsular space, and the excised capsule was not repaired. All patients were assessed by clinical scores and the radiographs were reviewed to determine whether the remaining loose bodies disappeared at the last follow-up. RESULTS: Eight men and two women were followed up for a minimum of 1 year (mean, 3.8 years; range, 1 to 6.8 years) after hip arthroscopy. Clinical outcomes such as modified Harris hip score, University of California Los Angeles score, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index score improved at the last follow-up. Although seven hips had remaining loose bodies after arthroscopic surgery, the remaining loose bodies disappeared in five hips (71.4%) at the last follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Arthroscopic surgery was useful to treat synovial chondromatosis of the hip. In spite of limited removal of loose bodies, arthroscopic procedures including extensive capsulectomy could be effective for the treatment of synovial chondromatosis of the hip.