[Dislocations of the carpal bones. Diagnosis and therapy]

Dislocations of the carpal bones are rare. Because of the difficult radiological anatomy of the carpus, the diagnosis of such injuries is often missed. The treatment of a primary diagnosed luxation is easy, and an anatomical position of the carpal bones can be achieved by closed reduction. The functional result is good. In contrast the treatment of delayed diagnosed dislocations is very problematic, and the outcome of the mainly operative therapy is unsatisfactory on the whole. The radiological findings on dislocations of the carpal bones are discussed in principle. The indication of non-operative and operative treatment is outlined.