Nerve-sparing dorsal and volar approaches to the radiocarpal joint.

Surgical approaches to the wrist joint have traditionally been focused on providing wide exposure to allow adequate access to the carpus. In light of recent investigations on the innervation and proprioception of the wrist joint, one should also take into consideration not to denervate the wrist capsule and ligaments. In this manuscript, we propose 2 surgical approaches to the dorsal and volar radiocarpal joint, intended to minimize damage to the innervation of the capsule while providing ample access to the wrist. Copyright 2010 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.