Ten questions on Kienbock's disease of the lunate

Abstract

Kienböck's disease (Kienböck, 1910) affects the lunate bone in patients who are usually in their twenties, and present with pain, swelling and stiffness of the wrist. Almost every treatment currently suggested for Kienböck's disease is based on an hypothesis rather than proven knowledge. We treat it in the hope that what we are doing is logical and likely to benefit our patients. There are many questions that we should be prepared to answer and we list some we must address. A century after Kienböck's description of this disorder a number cannot yet be answered adequately. This paper explores areas of uncertainty.