Radiographic comparative evaluation of the Sauve-Kapandji procedure and the Darrach procedure for rheumatoid wrist reconstruction.

For surgical treatment of rheumatoid wrists, we have routinely selected the Sauve-Kapandji (S-K) procedure or the Darrach procedure based on predetermined indications. In this study, we conducted a retrospective radiographic comparative evaluation of the changes in the carpus after the two procedures. The S-K group and the Darrach group each consisted of 13 wrists of 10 patients (all women). The indications for the Darrach procedure were the presence of radiolunate fusion, radial shelf formation, and old age. The carpal height ratio (CHR) and the ulnocarpal distance ratio (UCDR) were determined on wrist radiograms obtained before operation and at the final follow-up. The mean follow-up period was 4 years. Fisher's test was used to analyze the differences between the two groups. Both groups showed a decrease in mean CHR and an increase in mean UCDR at the final follow-up compared to the values before the operation, and there were no statistically significant differences. Furthermore, in the Darrach group, no significant differences in changes of the carpus were observed between patients with or without a radial shelf. We concluded that the present results do not support the superiority of the S-K method over the Darrach procedure for rheumatoid wrist reconstruction based on a radiographic evaluation.