Normal values of scapholunate distance in Turkish children aged 5–14 years

Abstract

Wrist kinematic indices and scapholunate distance play an essential role in diagnosing and treating injury and disease of the carpus. It can be challenging to measure and diagnose scapholunate ligament injury in the immature skeleton. The aim of this study was to measure the normal ranges of the carpal indices on radiographs in the Turkish population aged 5–14 years. This retrospective study examined children aged 5–14 years between 2021 and 2022. Children aged 5–14 years with a wrist anteroposterior X-ray, children admitted to the hospital for nontraumatic reasons, and children who had not had a wrist fracture before were included in the study. The distance between the scaphoid and the lunate, the distance between the lunate and the triquetrum, the carpal height, the length of the third metacarpal, and the ratio of the carpal height to the length of the third metacarpal were measured. It was found that the scapholunate distance was significantly higher in boys aged 7–8 years and 9–10 years (P = 0.001, P = 0.004). When the averages of the lunotriquetral distances were analyzed according to age groups, it was found that it was significantly higher in boys of 7–8 years old, 11–12 years old, and 13–14 years old groups compared with girls (P = 0.003, P < 0.001, P = 0.004). In this study aiming to find the average values of scapholunate distance, lunotriquetral distance, and carpal indices in children, we concluded that we should examine the wrist X-ray in terms of carpal injuries by considering age and gender.