Dynamic 3-Dimensional kinematics of the wrist joint and radiocarpal articular contact

Wrist complaints are responsible for the longest absence period from work of employees, with substantial financial consequences due to workers’ compensation, medical expenses, and productivity losses with an annually cost of approximately €600 million in the Netherlands. Therefore, it is of great importance to recognize and properly diagnose problems in the wrist at an early stage to prevent irreversible degenerative pathologies of the wrist.
Currently, quantification of wrist instabilities is not possible by commonly available clinical diagnostic modalities. Ligament injuries frequently go undiagnosed and untreated, often being passed off as a simple sprain. If left untreated, such injuries often leads to damage of the cartilage layers that cannot be treated without residual problems in joint function. In these cases, the problem has progressed to such extent that the chances for success after surgical reconstruction are strongly reduced. Unfortunately this is a frequently observed situation for many patients seen in the clinic.
The main objective of this thesis is to introduce novel methods for assessment and quantification of in-vivo carpal kinematics and joint space thickness measurements during wrist motion for diagnostic and prognostic purposes.