Perilunate Dislocation - Case Report and Review of Literature

Perilunate dislocations are rare injuries comprising of less than 10% of all wrist injuries. These usually occur after high-energy trauma to the wrist. One-fourth (25%) of perilunate dislocations are missed at the initial presentation. We report a case of perilunate dislocation in a patient who presented late, about two months after trauma. He underwent open reduction through a single dorsal approach and internal fixation with K-wires. Aggressive physiotherapy exercises were started after removal of K-wires. He regained near normal full range of motions at the wrist by the end of four months and showed no recurrence of the dislocation. In conclusion, perilunate dislocations should be considered as one of the important differential diagnosis in patients with history of high-energy trauma to the wrist. Early diagnosis and treatment is necessary to prevent the potential risk of avascular necrosis of lunate and scaphoid and secondary osteoarthritis. The best results can be obtained with open reduction and internal fixation with K-wires via a single dorsal approach.