POSTTRAUMATIC IRREDUCIBLE NONDISSOCIATIVE CARPAL INSTABILITY - A CASE-REPORT

We present a case that is unusual in two respects. To our knowledge, i t is the first clearly documented instance in the literature of a post -traumatic, irreducible nondissociative volar intercalated carpal inst ability to result from a known wrist flexion force and a known dorsal capsuloligamentous tear. Second, the same wrist revealed a coalition a t both intraosseous levels of the proximal carpal row: a synfibrosis a l the scapholunate joint and a synostosis at the lunotriquetral joint. Treatment by open removal of an interposed capsuloligamentous flap fr om the radiocarpal joint, followed by alignment of carpal elements, te mporary internal fixation, and repair of the damaged dorsal capsule an d ligaments gave an excellent result.