Ageing does not affect ulnar variance: an investigation in Taiwan.

This paper presents a longitudinal study of the effect of ageing on ulnar variance. Between 1976 and 1985, ulnar variance in 1000 normal adult subjects was measured using the Palmer method. In 1995 to 2002, 17 to 22 years later, the ulnar variance was measured again in 864 of them. They were stratified into three age groups: Group I consisted of 351 subjects of young age (20-39 year-old), Group II of 318 subjects of middle age (40-59 year-old) and group III of 195 subjects of old age (60 year-old or older). The means of the initial and the final ulnar variance of the whole series and the three groups were compared by the paired Student's t-test. There were no significant differences between the initial and final ulnar variances in all three age groups and in the whole series. In normal subjects without diseases or injuries affecting the wrist, ageing does not affect the ulnar variance.