J Korean Orthop Assoc.  2007 Apr;42(2):171-176. 10.4055/jkoa.2007.42.2.171.

Value of Post-arthrography Computed Tomography in Wrist Ligament Injuries

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon, Korea. kbsos@schbc.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Soonchunhyang University College of Medicine, Bucheon, Korea.

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of post-arthrography computed tomography in examining wrist ligament injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients who had a history and clinical findings suggestive of ligamentous injuries of the wrist were examined. Fourteen men and sixteen women (average age 35 years) were enrolled in this study. The evaluation concentrated on the detection and precise localization of the ligament lesions in the triangular fibrocartilage (TFC), the scapholunate ligament (SLL) and the lunotriquetral ligament (LTL). RESULTS: For TFC, SLL and LTL lesions, arthro-CT showed a sensitivity 96%, 90% and 85.7%, and a specificity 80%, 90% and 91.3%, and an accuracy 93.3%, 90% and 93.3%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Arthro-CT may be a useful imaging method for evaluating intra-articular ligament injuries of the wrist.

Keyword

Wrist arthroscopy; Post-arthrography computed tomography; Wrist ligament injuries

MeSH Terms

Female
Male
Humans

Figure

  • Fig. 1 (A) A 24-year old women with ulnar sided wrist pain on the left side. Coronal reformatted Arthro-CT shows a tear of TFC radial attachment. (B) Arthroscopy shows the radial tear of the TFC.

  • Fig. 2 (A) A 29-year old man with a painful wrist on the right side. Arthro-CT shows dye filling between the lunate and scaphoid bones. (B) Arthroscopy shows inferior perforation of the scapholunate interosseous ligament.


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