[Comparison between medical and surgical treatment of Kienboeck's disease]

120 cases of necrosis of the lunate bone have been observed in workers in the building trade. In 80 cases, only medical treatment has been used, which makes it possible to follow the natural course of the disease: it goes from one stage to another in 5 years, and arthrosis appears in 10 years when mobility decreases more than 50%. However, a change in occupation is rare. Among the 40 operated in whom all the known technics were used, in half the cases there has been a change in occupation.