Intraosseous pressure in Kienböck's disease.

Intraosseous pressure was measured in the lunate of 10 patients undergoing surgery for Kienböck's disease. Using the styloid process of the radius and the capitate as reference points of bone pressure, I found a stasis rather than arterial insufficiency in the lunate. This pattern was observed regardless of the stage of the disease according to Ståhl and regardless of the finding by technetium TC 99m-methylene diphosphonate scintigraphy. The significance of this finding is still unknown but questions the current concept that Kienböck's disease is caused by arterial insufficiency, because these results imply an interruption of the blood flow as a result of venous congestion.