The role of arthroscopy in the treatment of lunatotriquetral ligament injuries.

Abstract

Disruption of the lunatotriquetral ligament is a common cause of ulnar-sided wrist pain. A review of the literature of the pathophysiology and treatment of LT ligament tears is presented. The authors report a series of 20 consecutive patients with arthroscopically confirmed LT ligament tears without a VISI collapse treated with arthroscopic reduction and pinning of the LT joint. At an average follow-up of 2 years 8 months, there was an 80% success rate. Success of the procedure correlated negatively with arthroscopic findings of chondromalacia and positively with decreased postoperative active wrist motion.