Volar Central Portal in Wrist Arthroscopy

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Arthroscopy
• Anatomy

Background:

• Traditional wrist visualization is often limited.
• The wrist joint can be viewed as a
• box
• accessible from multiple perspectives.
• Advancements in arthroscopic techniques are crucial for comprehensive wrist joint examination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel volar central portal for wrist arthroscopy.
• To enable access to both radiocarpal and midcarpal joints via a single incision.
• To ensure the safety of volar structures during the procedure.

Main Methods:

• Anatomical study on 14 cadaver specimens.
• Development of a volar central portal technique.
• Assessment of iatrogenic injury risk and distances to critical neurovascular structures.

Main Results:

• The volar central portal provides access to both radiocarpal and midcarpal joints.
• Median distances to median nerve, palmar cutaneous branch, and ulnar neurovascular bundle were recorded.
• No iatrogenic injuries were observed in the cadaver study.

Conclusions:

• The described volar central portal is a safe and reproducible technique.
• It allows for inspection of both radiocarpal and midcarpal joints through a single incision.
• The risk of iatrogenic injury is low with this approach.