MRI findings of the wrist in patients with multiple osteonecrosis in large joints of the extremities

We evaluated MRI findings of the wrist in patients who had multiple osteonecrosis in the large joints of their extremities (hips, knees, shoulders, and ankles) and compared these with the clinical symptoms and radiographical findings. Sixty wrists of 30 patients (3 males and 27 females) with multiple osteonecrosis were studied. Subjects ranged in age from 16 to 59 years. Their primary diseases were SLE in 24 patients, alcoholic osteonecrosis in two, Sjoegren's syndrome in one, dermatomyositis in one, leukemia in one, and MCTD in one patient. Using MRI, we found osteonecrosis in seven wrists of four patients. Lesions were seen in six scaphoids of three patients, in two lunates of two patients, and in one capitate. We noted a reduced range of motion in three of the seven wrists with osteonecrosis. Two of the seven complained at wrist pain at motion, although three wrists were symptom free. Radiographically, an abnormality was recognized in two of the seven wrists. Generally, osteonecrosis of the lunate (Kienboeck's disease) is more frequent than that of the scaphoid (Preiser's disease). However in the present series, we found a higher osteonecrosis rate of the scaphoid than the lunate, using MRI. The discrepancy can be explained by the vascularity. In 1986, Gelberman reported that the scaphoid, the capitate, and 8% of the lunate had either vessels entering only one surface or large areas of bone that were dependent on a single vessel. The present study is consistent with these anatomical features. In other words, the present results demonstrated that Kienboeck's disease can be induced not only by a deficient blood supply but also by some additional factors. (author)