Scapholunate instability. Diagnosis - classification - treatment

Scapholunate instability is more or less caused by injury. The ligament ins tability between lunate and scaphoid is not easily to be identified even th ere is only a little widening of this space between both bones. The instabi lity may be proved by physical examination, by x-ray and by arthroscopy. Th e scapholunate instability may occure in a different manner. It is divided in three stages. In stage I a none operative treatment is suficiant. For th e other stages an operative treatment is necessary: The operative treatment begins with suture of the ligament, continues with ligamentoplasty and end s with intracarpal fusions. At least a total arthrodesis of the wrist is ne cessary.