Due to copyright issues, an electronic copy of the thesis must be ordered from the faculty. For the faculty to have time to process the order, the order must be received by the faculty at the latest 2 days before the public defence. Orders received later than 2 days before the defence will not be processed. After the public defence, please address any inquiries regarding the thesis to the candidate.
Trial Lecture – time and place
See Trial Lecture.
Adjudication committee
- First opponent: Professor Jörg van Schoonhoven, Würzburg University Hospital, Germany
- Second opponent: Professor Henk Coert, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Third member and chair of the evaluation committee: Professor II Mona Kristiansen Beyer, University of Oslo
Chair of the Defence
Professor II Jan Erik Madsen, University of Oslo
Principal Supervisor
Associate Professor Frede Jon Frihagen, University of Oslo
Summary
The distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) is important for forearm rotation and lifting capacity. After trauma or degenerative disease, painful arthritis may ensue. Historically, surgical salvage procedures have been used, such as resection of the whole joint. Over the past decades, metallic endoprostheses have become available.
The thesis aimed to study clinical outcomes in patients operated with DRUJ arthroplasty in terms of pain, function, implant longevity, and reoperation rates.
The methods included gathering data from an institutional Joint Registry, functional and pain scores, including Mayo Wrist Scores and radiological evaluation as well as recording reoperations for complications. Two types of implants were studied: an ulnar head prosthesis and a total joint semi-constrained prosthesis.
DRUJ arthroplasty resulted in decreased pain scores in most patients. Range of motion was either preserved or improved. Both types of implants gave a similar reduction in pain, improvement in Mayo Wrist Score, and prosthesis longevity. Patients with the total joint solution reported better lifting capacity. Reoperation rates were 23% and 34%, respectively, for ulnar head prostheses and semi-constrained prostheses. Adjusted for follow-up time, this was not statistically different.
In conclusion, DRUJ prostheses give good pain relief and function in most patients, but reoperations are frequent.
Additional information
Contact the research support staff.