title: The incidence of asymptomatic Kienböck's disease.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of asymptomatic Kienböck's disease in patients who attended the Dr George Mukhari Hospital (formerly Ga-Rankuwa Hospital), as well as the relevance of ulnar variance on the disease. This was a retrospective study. In a 12 month period we reviewed postero-anterior radiographs of 1287 patients seen at our radiology department, with complaints unrelated to the upper limb including the wrist and hand. We identified 23 cases (1.9%) of asymptomatic Lichtman stage II-IV Kienböck's disease in our African population. The majority (63%) were male with an average age of 49 years, and 37% were female with an average age of 46.5 years. All cases were unilateral and all were in the dominant hand. Thirteen cases (57%) had an ulnar neutral wrist and the remaining ten (43%) had an ulnar negative variance. The vast majority (83%) were unemployed. Analysis of the data shed no further light on the aetiology. The relevance of ulnar variance as an aetiological factor is questioned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hand and Microsurgery, University of Limpopo - MEDUNSA Campus and Dr George Mukhari Hospital, South Africa. umennen@icon.co.za
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mennen
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sithebe
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010020:Osteonecrosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013019:South Africa