Force Required to Maintain Reduction of a Preexisting Scapholunate Dissociation

To determine the force required to maintain reduction of Geissler grade 4 scapholunate dissociations during physiological wrist motions.

Fresh-frozen cadaveric wrists with Geissler grade 4 scapholunate dissociations were identified by arthroscopy. Following reduction, a load cell was attached to measure the force across the scapholunate joint at a neutral position and during 4 different wrist motions re-created using a servohydraulic wrist simulator, including a large flexion-extension motion (FEM), small and large dart-thrower's motions (DTMs), and a large DTM with ulnar offset.

Five wrists with isolated preexisting scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) tears were analyzed. The force required to maintain reduction was significantly greater in extension than in flexion during the large FEM and large DTM with ulnar offset. The forces were significantly larger in this study of preexisting SLIL dissociations compared with results from a prior study of acutely sectioned SLILs. In addition, forces to maintain reduction during DTMs were significantly less than forces during FEMs. Finally, a set of 3 wrists with preexisting scapholunate and lunotriquetral interosseous ligament (LTIL) tears were identified and had significantly decreased forces to maintain reduction at maximum extension and had decreased maximal forces during a cycle of motion compared with the wrists with isolated SLIL tears.

The forces required to maintain reduction of a Geissler grade 4 wrist are higher than forces after acutely sectioned SLIL. The forces are greater in extension than in flexion and less during the DTM compared with the FEM. Wrists with both SLIL and LTIL tears required less force to maintain reduction than those with isolated SLIL tears.

This study helps determine the strength of reconstruction required to maintain reduction of a Geissler grade 4 scapholunate dissociation.