Mjöberg B. Kienböck’s disease: Treatment implications of the wrist-joint tamponade hypothesis. World J Orthop 2026; 17(9): 125849 [DOI: 10.5312/wjo.125849]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Bengt Mjöberg, BSc, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Ortopedics, Lund University, Box 117, Lund SE-22100, Sweden. bengt.mj@telia.com
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Orthopedics
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review-article
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Mjöberg B. Kienböck’s disease: Treatment implications of the wrist-joint tamponade hypothesis. World J Orthop 2026; 17(9): 125849 [DOI: 10.5312/wjo.125849]
World J Orthop. Sep 18, 2026; 17(9): 125849 Published online Sep 18, 2026. doi: 10.5312/wjo.125849
Kienböck’s disease: Treatment implications of the wrist-joint tamponade hypothesis
Bengt Mjöberg
Bengt Mjöberg, Department of Ortopedics, Lund University, Lund SE-22100, Sweden
Author contributions: Mjöberg B wrote this review.
AI contribution statement: No AI tools were used.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Bengt Mjöberg, BSc, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Ortopedics, Lund University, Box 117, Lund SE-22100, Sweden. bengt.mj@telia.com
Received: July 21, 2026 Revised: August 5, 2026 Accepted: August 26, 2026 Published online: September 18, 2026 Processing time: 53 Days and 21.9 Hours
Abstract
Kienböck’s disease, the cause of which is widely considered enigmatic, may be due to a wrist-joint tamponade. Urgently performed arthrocentesis reduces the intra-articular pressure and may thereby prevent osteonecrosis of the lunate and the development of the disease. However, by the time the patient usually seeks care, osteonecrosis has already occurred. On the other hand, if pharmacological inhibition of osteoclast activity is initiated at an early stage (while the anatomy of the necrotic lunate is still intact), it is possible that the lunate anatomy can be preserved and further development of Kienböck’s disease avoided. This hypothesis and the accompanying treatment implications deserve experimental and clinical corroboration.
Core Tip: If pharmacological inhibition of osteoclast activity is initiated at an early stage (while the anatomy of the necrotic lunate is still intact), it is possible that the lunate anatomy can be preserved and further development of Kienböck’s disease avoided.
