Background: Early destruction of the wrist in rheumatoid arthritis is common and often progressive. Even in times of improved and standardized medical treatment this cannot always be prevented.
Objectives: A limited range of motion, pain, reduced grip-force, and aesthetic deficits of the wrist can impair the daily life of patients. There is an additional risk for destruction of the surrounding soft tissue and adjoining joints of the upper extremity.
Results: Destruction of wrist in rheumatoid arthritis is multifactorial and is localized in many different structures of the wrist. In this context, scaphoid and periscaphoid structures are of interest. Data were gathered in a retrospective study of the wrist X‑rays of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The possible consequences for operative options are described.
Keywords: Os scaphoideum; radiolunate fusion; radioscapholunate fusion; rheumatoid wrist; scaphoid destruction.