[Initial results of treatment with the new AO wrist joint arthrodesis plate].

Although diagnosis and therapeutic options for post-traumatic, idiopathic, and degenerative wrist arthropathies have improved during recent years, total wrist fusion is still frequently regarded as a popular option of treatment. Fourty-one patients underwent wrist arthrodesis between May 1994 and April 1996 using the recently introduced new AO-plate after earlier wrist trauma or Kienböck's disease. Thirty-five patients were examined. The average follow-up time was 15 months. Hand function and active digital range of motion (ADROM) was assessed clinically, grip strength was measured using a Jamar-Dynamometer and the Dexter-Computer-System. Patient's daily activities and general postoperative quality of life were estimated with the new DASH-questionnaire. It can be concluded from our data, that the widely claimed complete pain relief after total wrist fusion does not match reality. Eighty percent of the patients complained about reduction of postoperative quality of life with impaired personal hygiene and functional deficits; however, the majority would undergo the procedure again. Seventy percent of the patients returned to their original occupation. The DASH-questionnaire proved to be a very useful and sensitive tool for evaluating the patient's problems at the upper extremity.