DISTAL RADIOULNAR JOINT SUBLUXATION AND DISLOCATION DIAGNOSED BY STANDARD ROENTGENOGRAPHY

The use of standard lateral roentgenography for diagnosing distal radi oulnar joint (DRUJ) subluxation and dislocation was investigated. Usin g a wrist support, bilateral standard lateral roentgenograms of the wr ist were obtained in 42 patients with normal wrists and in 56 patients with a unilateral wrist injury. In normal wrists the difference betwe en the radioulnar distance in the right and the left wrist did not exc eed 4 mm when the difference in the pisoscaphoid distance was less tha n 3 mm. Of the 36 patients with wrist injury whose difference in pisos caphoid distance was less than 3 mm, 15 had a radioulnar distance of 5 mm or more, and computed tomography (CT) confirmed DRUJ dislocation i n 14. Concordance between lateral roentgenograms and CT was present in 33 of 36 patients (92%). These results demonstrate the value of a sta ndardized technique for bilateral lateral roentgenography in diagnosin g DRUJ subluxation and dislocation.