RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) changes on wrist magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may occur in patients without corresponding symptoms and examination consistent with TFCC pathology. This study aims to define the rate of asymptomatic TFCC changes in patients undergoing wrist MRI for indications other than ulnar-sided wrist pain and to compare this with the rate in ulnar-sided wrist pain patients. METHODS: Patients who underwent wrist MRI at a single large orthopedic practice over a 2-year period were identified by Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code 73221. Patients with an associated diagnosis, including "hand," "wrist," "radius," "radial," "scaphoid," "navicular," or "De Quervain," were retrospectively reviewed for demographics, symptoms, examination, trauma, and MRI findings. Patients with ulnar-sided wrist pain were used as the comparison group. RESULTS: Wrist MRIs were available for 132 patients, with 92 in the primary cohort and 40 forming the comparison group. The MRI indications included wrist pain (other than ulnar-sided; 64%), hand/thumb pain (21%), mass (12%), and numbness/tingling (2%). The TFCC MRI changes were seen in 44% of the patients and abnormal TFCC was positively associated with age. In contrast, 80% of the 40 patients with ulnar-sided wrist pain had abnormal TFCC on MRI. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high rate of abnormal TFCC identified on MRI in patients without corresponding ulnar-sided wrist symptoms. This highlights the importance of not treating MRI imaging in isolation without correlating with the patient's symptoms while also preparing patients for a high likelihood of asymptomatic TFCC changes on routine wrist MRI. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Retrospective case series; Level IV.
RESUMEN
Preiser's disease, also known as avascular necrosis of the scaphoid, is a rare condition that is incompletely understood in regard to pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. There have been numerous case reports and case series evaluating a variety of conservative and operative interventions, but optimal treatment has not been well established. We describe the case of a 20-year-old female with stage II Preiser's disease that was managed with a vascularized bone graft from the 1,2 intercompartmental supraretinacular artery, in addition to temporary dorsal wrist-spanning bridge plate fixation. At the nine-year follow-up, the patient had near full wrist range of motion, no pain, and radiographs showing preserved carpal alignment and a scapholunate angle within normal range. Our findings suggest that this surgical technique is a viable option for restoring scaphoid vascularity, preserving carpal alignment, and halting disease progression.