Superselective angiography of the wrist in patients with Kienböck’s disease

BACKGROUND: Microvascular problems like increased intraosseous pressure or venous congestion may influence the development of Kienböck’s disease. We examined if wrist position modifies the blood flow in the nutrient vessels. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of 17 patients with Kienböck’s disease who had a superselective microangiography of the radial, ulnar and interosseous artery in different wrist positions under general anaesthesia. We analysed the data with Fisher’s exact and Wilcoxon-test. RESULTS: We found vessels that entered the bone, that ended at the bone edge, and that supplied a vascular plexus. The origins were the anterior interosseous artery in 10 of 17 cases, the radial artery in seven cases, and the ulnar artery in five cases. Movement of the wrist could reduce or stop the blood flow. Type of lunate configuration showed no significant influence on the blood supply in neutral position. CONCLUSION: The radial, ulnar, and anterior interosseous artery contribute to the vascular supply of the lunate bone in different combinations. Wrist movement can reduce blood flow to the lunate bone. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12891-019-2492-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.