In this episode of the Hand Surgery Resource Podcast, Dr. Larry Hurst shares more about Scapholunate Advanced Collapse (SLAC) Wrist, more popularly known as Wrist Osteoarthritis.

Nearly 90% of the degenerative changes observed in patients with osteoarthritis of the wrist follow three predictable patterns, the most common of which is “scapholunate advanced collapse (SLAC)” wrist, coined by Watson and Ballet in 1984.1 Arthritic changes initially involve the radioscaphoid joint, and as cartilage disappears, the radial side of the wrist loses support. The capitate slides away from the radial side of the lunate, which in turn, leads to degeneration of the capitolunate joint and the hamatolunate joint. The radiolunate and lunotriquetral joints are often spared. The trapeziometacarpal joint is usually affected by arthritis that is unrelated to the SLAC wrist process.