Rheumatoid wrist deformities and their relation to ulnar drift

With a new technique of roentgenography to reveal more accurately the degree of ulnar drift and radial deviation in hands of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, it was shown that the radial deviation was less marked than would be ascertained with conventional roentgenograms. Therefore radial deviation probably does not constitute a cause for ulnar drift. The study led to clinical implications as regards the position of splinting (with the wrist in ulnar deviation) and as regards operations to correct deformities of the wrist due to rheumatoid arthritis.