A retrospective study of 10 cases of derrangement of the distal radioulnar joint treated with the technique of Sauvé-Kapandji was carried out. Derrangements resulted from trauma (7), degeneration (2) and congenital disease (1) and the main preoperative complaints were pain, limitation of pronation and supination and deformity. The patients' average age by the time of the operation was 37.8 years (range: 19 - 68 years). All were submitted to clinical, functional and radiographic evaluation at 28.3 months after the operation on average, particular attention being paid to an anteroposterior X-ray view with the hand in a moderate hand grip effort. All patients improved from their complaints and the final results were considered satisfactory (excellent or good) in 8, and unsatisfactory (regular) in 2. The distal radioulnar arthrodesis healed uneventfully in 9 cases, independently from the type of fixation used. The X-ray view under strain showed that all patients presented dislocation of the ulna towards the radius, but this apparently did not interfere with function. It was concluded that Sauvé-Kapandji's technique is efficient to treat derrangements of the distal radioulnar joint, since it does not imply significant functional loss.
