A 32-YEAR FOLLOW-UP OF LUNATE EXCISION FOR KIENBOCKS-DISEASE - A CASE-REPORT AND A REVIEW OF RESULTS FROM EXCISION AND OTHER TREATMENT METHODS

Lunate excision alone is seldom utilized in the management of Kienbock 's disease due to concerns about progressive carpal collapse following removal of this central carpal bone. We report a 32-year follow-up of a patient who underwent lunate excision only for treatment of Kienboc k's disease with a successful outcome. Although lunate excision is tho ught to be associated with a high failure rate, a review of the litera ture suggests that success rates following lunate excision are compara ble to those reported for other more conventional techniques such as r adial shortening, ulnar lengthening, limited carpal fusions, and proxi mal row carpectomy. The current perception that lunate excision is ass ociated with a high failure rate is not supported in the literature. A s such, it may not be appropriate to assign this operation to the cate gory of ''historical interest only.''