Introduction Scapholunate advanced collapse (SLAC) is a common form of osteoarthritis of the wrist that affects the radiocarpal and intercarpal joints and is characterized by progressive deformity, instability and arthritis due to chronic dissociation of the scaphoid and lunate bones in chronic injuries of the scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL). The objective was to define the concept and pathogenesis of SLAC, review current methods of radiological diagnosis and treatment of the pathology using literature data. Material and methods The original literature search was conducted on key resources including Scientific Electronic Library (www.elibrary.ru) and the National Library of Medicine (www.pubmed.org). Search strategy was comprised of keywords: scapholunate advanced collapse, SLAC, scapholunate instability, proximal row carpectomy. The review of 59 articles was performed. Results and discussions Scapholunate carpal collapse is secondary arthritis of the carpal bones due to a rupture of the scapholunate ligament (SLIL), which can be traumatic or non-traumatic. Conservative treatments can be produced for SLAC during early stages of arthritis, but there is no data on effectiveness in the world literature. Surgical treatments are varied, the choice depends on the clinical stage of the disease. Conclusion The terms “scapholunate collapse”, “SLAC syndrome”, “osteoarthrosis of the radioscaphoid joint”, “carpal joint collapse”, which are used in the literature, are intended to describe an integrated clinical and pathophysiological picture of the condition. Surgical option would rely on the clinical stage of the disease with no generally accepted solutions. Adjuvant operations aimed at greater effectiveness of treatment is essential for younger patients