This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.
This study examined the role of arthroscopic debridement alone for complete and incomplete
intercarpal ligament tears of the wrist. Forty-three wrists underwent arthroscopic
evaluation for persistent wrist pain and were identified as having isolated scapholunate
or lunotriquetral ligament tears treated by arthroscopic debridement alone of the
torn ligament edges. At follow-up examination at an average of 27 months, 29 (66%)
wrists having a complete scapholunate ligament tear and 36 (85%) wrists having a limited
scapholunate ligament tear had either complete symptom resolution or improved symptomatology.
Thirty-three (78%) wrists with a complete lunotriquetral ligament tear and 43 (100%)
wrists having a limited lunotriquetral ligament tear had complete symptom resolution
or improvement. No wrists were noted to have static intercarpal instability pattern
changes on follow-up radiographs. Grip strength improved 23% postoperatively. These
findings suggest that intercarpal ligament tears, in a majority of patients, may be
treated from a symptomatic standpoint by debridement alone for at least several years.
The long-term ability of this approach to maintain a pain-free wrist has yet to be
determined. No statistically significant difference was noted in the symptomatic improvement
rate of scapholunate compared to lunotriquetral ligament debridement.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of Hand SurgeryAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- The evaluation of chronic wrist pain.Orthop Clinic North Am. 1984; 15: 183-192
- Wrist injuries: correlation of clinical and arthroscopic findings.J Hand Surg. 1990; 15A: 915-920
- Arthroscopic categorization of intercarpal ligamentous injuries of the wrist.Orthopaedics. 1993; 16: 1051-1061
- Diagnostic and operative arthroscopy of the wrist.Clin Orthop. 1991; 293: 165-174
- The role of arthroscopy in the treatment of wrist injuries in the athlete.Clin Sports Med. 1992; 11: 227-238
- The triple injection wrist arthrogram.J Hand Surg. 1988; 13A: 803-809
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the anterior radiocarpal ligaments.J Hand Surg. 1994; 19A: 295-303
- Evaluation of chronic wrist pain by arthrography, arthroscopy, and arthrotomy.J Hand Surg. 1993; 18A: 815-822
- Comparison of the findings of triple injection cine-arthrography of the wrist with those of arthroscopy.J Bone Joint Surg. 1996; 78A: 348-356
- Triangular fibrocartilage tears.J Hand Surg. 1994; 19A: 143-154
- Partial excision of the triangular fibrocartilage complex.J Hand Surg. 1988; 13A: 391-394
- Lunotriquetral arthrodesis.J Hand Surg. 1993; 18A: 1113-1120
- Complication of intercarpal arthrodesis.J Hand Surg. 1993; 18A: 1121-1128
- Long-term study of chronic scapholunate instability treated by scapho-trapezium-trapezoid arthrodesis.J Hand Surg. 1989; 14A: 429-445
- Management of chronic lunotriquetral ligament tears.J Hand Surg. 1989; 14A: 77-83
- Treatment of scapholunate dissociation by ligamentous repair and capsulodesis.J Hand Surg. 1992; 17: 354-359
- Capsulodesis in reconstructive hand surgery: dorsal capsulodesis for the unstable scaphoid and volar capsulodesis following excision of the distal ulna.Hand Clin. 1987; 3: 81-102
- Four-bone ligament reconstruction for treatment of chronic, complete scapholunate separation.J Hand Surg. 1991; : 322-327
- Ligamentous reconstruction for chronic intercarpal instability.J Hand Surg. 1984; 9A: 514-527
- Arthroscopy of the wrist: anatomy and technique.J Hand Surg. 1989; 14A: 313-316
- Arthroscopic surgery: the wrist.JB Lippincott, Philadelphia1992
- Diagnostic imaging and arthroscopy for chronic wrist pain.Orthop Clin North Am. 1995; 26: 759-767
- Lunotriquetral instability: a cause of chronic wrist pain.J Hand Surg. 1988; 13A: 309
- Arthroscopic management of partial scapholunate and lunotriquetral injuries of the wrist.J Hand Surg. 1996; 21A: 412-417
- Intracarpal soft-tissue lesions associated with an intra-articular fracture of the distal end of the radius.J Bone Joint Surg. 1996; 78A: 357-365
Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
August 15,
1996
Received:
April 24,
1995
Footnotes
*No benefits in any from have been received or will be received from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this article.
Identification
Copyright
© 1997 The American Society for Surgery of the Hand. All rights reserved. Published by Elsevier Inc.
