Abstract
The Darrach procedure, an ulnar head resection, has been the standard treatment for painful disorders of the distal radioulnar joint of the rheumatoid wrist. However, recent articles have described unsatisfactory results after this procedure including ulnar translocation of the carpus. We used the Sauve-Kapandji procedure, a distal radioulnar arthrodesis with surgical creation of a pseudoarthrosis in the distal ulna, to maintain the stability of the ulnar side of the wrist joint after synovectomy. Investigation of the postoperative results of the Darrach and the Sauve-Kapandji procedures showed that ulnar translocation of the carpus was significantly (p<0.05) smaller with the Sauve-Kapandji procedure than with the Darrach procedure.
