FUNCTIONAL OUTCOME OF LATERAL WEDGE OSTEOTOMY IN STAGE II AND III OF KIENBOCKS DISEASE- A PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

• Kienbock's disease, also referred to as avascular necrosis (AVN) of the lunate, occurs when thde blood supply to the lunate bone, one of the eight small bones in the wrist, is compromised, resulting in necrosis. The lunate plays a crucial role in wrist movement and joint support, working in tandem with the radius and ulna, the two forearm bones. This condition predominantly affects men aged 20 to 40 and typically occurs in only one wrist.• In 1910, Robert Kienbock, a Viennese radiologist, published a groundbreaking article on traumatic malacia of the lunate. He presented radiographic evidence showing changes in the proximal portion of the lunate bone and the radio lunate articulation. Kienbock observed the collapse of the lunate and attributed it to a disruption in its nutrition resulting from ligament and blood vessel rupture during contusions, sprains, or subluxations. His recommended approach involved symptomatic treatment, reserving excision of the lunate for advanced cases.