The long-term effects of force-transmission in an injured wrist, measured with dual-energy X-ray absorphometry: a case report.

PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility of using a dual-energy X-ray absorphometry (DEXA) scan to predict long-term force-transmission patterns in wrists.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Both wrists of a man with morbid Kienböck stage IIIa disease of his left wrist (avascular necrosis of the lunate) were examined by a DEXA scan to determine the differences in bone density in the distal radius.

RESULTS

In the distal radius of the injured wrist, a shift in bone density was seen toward the scaphoid fossa, which resembles the shift in force-transmission pattern described in force-transmission studies of the wrist.

CONCLUSIONS

These differences can be interpreted as a result of an altered force-transmission pattern in the injured wrist.