A radiological study of the wrist centers of rotation

To ensure the total replacement of wrist, it seems necessary to determine the main kinematic specifications of mobility and stability of this joint. After a review of the literature, the authors have determined, by the classical X-rays graphic method, the positions of both radial-ulnar deviation and flexion-extension centers, on 26 alive normal wrists. The data, in some ways different from Youm's, introduce to the conditions of stability of any wrist in a functional situation. The center locus (on the forearm axis in a front view, quite anterior in a lateral view) is, in some ways, an answer to the question of muscular equilibrium during prehensile efforts, so to the amount of strains the joint must bear, and consequently to the design of a total wrist prosthesis.