Intracarpal Soft-Tissue Lesions Associated with an Intra-Articular Fracture of the Distal End of the Radius*

TLDR

Sixty patients with displaced intra‑articular distal radius fractures were treated by manipulative reduction and internal fixation under fluoroscopic and arthroscopic guidance. Among these patients, fracture types ranged from AO/ASIF B1 to C3, 68 % had wrist soft‑tissue injuries—most commonly triangular fibrocartilage complex tears (26), scapholunate interosseous ligament tears (19), and lunotriquetral interosseous ligament tears (9)—and intracarpal soft‑tissue injuries were most frequent with lunate facet or radius fractures.

Abstract

Sixty patients who had a displaced intra-articular fracture of the distal end of the radius were managed with manipulative reduction and internal fixation performed under both fluoroscopic and arthroscopic guidance. According to the AO/ASIF classification system, seven fractures were type B1, two were type B2, three were type B3, thirteen were type C1, twelve were type C2, and twenty-three were type C3. Forty-one patients (68 per cent) had soft-tissue injuries of the wrist, including tears of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (twenty-six patients), the scapholunate interosseous ligament (nineteen), and the lunotriquetral interosseous ligament (nine). Thirteen patients had two soft-tissue injuries. Intracarpal soft-tissue injuries were identified most frequently in association with fractures involving the lunate facet of the distal articular surface or the radius.