A Historical Report on Robert Kienböck (1871–1953) and Kienböck’s Disease

What Is the Radiographic Prevalence of Incidental Kienböck Disease?

“…Kienböck disease, or lunatomalacia, was first identified and described by Robert Kienböck (1871-1953) as osteonecrosis of the lunate [17]. The etiology and pathogenesis of the disease are still uncertain, but several mechanical, vascular, and metabolic factors have been proposed [4,5,11,12,18].…”

Kienboeck's Disease: Unusual Cause of Acute Onset Wrist Pain in a Dialysis Patient

“…These include negative ulnar variance, radial inclination, low arterial inflow, increased venous congestion, hypercoagulability, systemic corticosteroid use, sickle cell disease, cerebral palsy, septic emboli and preceding wrist trauma (2,5). Although it is most likely that a complex interrelationship among the majority or all of the aforementioned factors contribute to the disease process, Kienböck's disease is fundamentally considered to be an avascular process of the lunate.…”

“…These lesions include osteonecrosis, osteodystrophy, dialysis-related amyloidosis, septic arthritis, malignancy and various crystal-induced arthropathies. Kienböck's disease is a rare condition that results in osteonecrosis and collapse of the lunate bone, often leading to chronic pain and dysfunction (2,3). Despite its recognition nearly a century ago, the etiology of Kienböck's disease remains obscure, and its natural history is also poorly defined.…”

The Effect of Proximal Lunate Morphology “Zapico Classification” on Kienböck’s Disease

“…After more than 100 years from the first description of avascular necrosis of lunate or osteomalacia of the lunate bone as Kienböck's disease KD (1), its cause still remains obscure and referred to as a multifactorial condition (2). Some authors have suggested that the morphology and microstructure of the wrist bones, intraosseous pressure, and mechanical stresses have etiologic and prognostic values (3)(4)(5).…”