[Therapy of old carpal dislocations and dislocation-fractures and its results]

Carpal fractures and dislocations are rare. Pitfalls in the diagnosis of these injuries are quite common failures. A follow up study in 10 patients with carpal injuries was done. Good results were found in five patients. These had been treated within 2-3 weeks. Another 5 patients had not been operated earlier than 2-17 months after the injury. In these cases the results were poor, because either the lunate must be removed or replaced by a prosthesis or was destroyed by avascular necrosis. The possibilities of early diagnosis and the methods of therapy are discussed.