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[Carpal ligament lesions associated with fresh distal radius fractures: arthroscopic study of 54 cases]
M Fischer1, C Denzler, G Sennwald
1Chirurgie St. Leonhard, St. Gallen.
Aim:
Intracarpal ligamentous tears and fractures of the distal radius may have a similar injury mechanism. We performed arthroscopy of the wrist in 54 patients with distal radius fracture to find out the frequency of associated ligamentous tears.
Results:
41% of the patients with an extraarticular fracture of the distal radius had at least one severe ligamentous tear of a carpal ligament. In the group of patients with intraarticular fracture we detected ligamentous tears even in 89%. Most frequent were tears of the lunotriquetral ligament.
Discussion:
Associated ligamentous tears are more common than expected. These tears may be of importance in the outcome of treatment of distal radius fractures.