NONUNION RATES OF LIMITED CARPAL ARTHRODESIS - A METAANALYSIS OF THE LITERATURE

Numerous types of limited intercarpal arthrodeses have been reported i n dozens of articles in the English-language medical literature. The n onunion rate varies considerably within and between the different type s of arthrodeses. This may be due in part to the small number of cases in most studies. The data on the number of good results and nonunion rates for 27 different types of limited carpal arthrodeses reported in the English-language medical literature from 1946 to 1993 were collec ted, and for each study, the 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were ca lculated. The studies were then combined for specific types of arthrod eses and the overall nonunion rates and confidence intervals were calc ulated to more accurately determine the actual nonunion rate expected for limited intercarpal arthrodeses. Nonunion rates (95% CI) for the m ost popular types of limited arthrodeses were as follows: of 385 scaph otrapezium-trapezoid arthrodeses reported, there was a 74% nonunion ra te (95% CI, 11%-18%); of 104 lunotriquetral arthrodeses, the nonunion rate was 27% (95% CI, 19%-36%); and of 17 scapholunate arthrodeses, th e nonunion rate was 47% (95% CI, 26%-69%).