Do Ligamentous Tears Heal After Anatomically Reduced Distal Radius Fracture

Objectives: Distal radius fracture was associated with a high incidence of ligamentous injury, including triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) tear, scapholunate ligament (SL) tear, and lunotriquetral (LT) tear. This study aims to evaluate the status of these ligaments after the healing of distal radius fractures with plate fixation. Materials and Methods: Patients who were elected for the removal of plate after the healing of their distal radius were recruited for the study from August 2014 to January 2016. Concomitant wrist arthroscopy was performed to assess the status of the TFCC, SL, and LT. Results: In total, 34 patients with an average age of 53 years with healed distal radius fractures were recruited for the study. Twelve patients had extra-articular distal radius fractures; 15 patients had preoperative symptoms, including ulnar wrist pain; and 24 were noted to have distal radial ulnar joint (DRUJ) instability on examinations. The findings of wrist arthroscopies revealed 25 complete TFCC tears ...