Excision of the hook of the hamate: a retrospective survey and review of the literature.

Fractures of the hook of the hamate frequently fail to unite. In symptomatic nonunion, surgical excision of the hook has provided relief of pain in the few reported cases. In a survey of surgeons, 133 cases of excision of the hook to treat nonunion were reviewed retrospectively. The complication rate associated with excision is three percent. These complications, such as injury to the ulnar nerve or the superficial palmar arch and median nerve paresthesias secondary to retraction are due more to the surgical exposure than the actual excision.