[History of the carpus and carpal instability].

A concise history of our understanding of the wrist and carpal instability is presented. During the Middle Ages, the wrist is sometimes depicted as consisting of only one bone; Galen, however, showed that there are eight. At first, the carpal bones were simply numbered from one to eight.

[Spontaneous rupture of the extensor pollicis longus].

A review of the literature is followed by the analysis of a series of forty-four patients who were treated by extensor indicis transposition. Twenty-five patients could be reached for a clinical follow-up examination, nine further patients were interviewed by telephone; of the remaining ten patients, seven could not be reached and three had died. Excluded from the series were patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

[Soft tissue tumors of the hand].

This paper is based on the author's experience and a review of the most recent literature. First, the five most common tumors are discussed: ganglia, giant cell tumor, mucous cyst, hemangioma, and epithelial inclusion cyst. The less-common lesions are then discussed that present special problems in the hand, such as the glomus tumor or recurring digital fibromatosis of childhood among others.