An All-arthroscopic Technique of Repair of Substance Tears of the Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex in Symptomatic Patients

Abstract

Substance tears of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) can occur secondary to trauma of the wrist. On the dorsal periphery, they are considered Palmer 1B tears or Atzei class 1 tears. If along the radial side, they can manifest as a tear of the central disc, classified as a Palmar class 1A tear. If it involves the ligaments, it is stated as a pre-1D tear as per the new classification system by Luchetti and colleagues. Multiple excellent repair techniques exist in the current literature for dorsal peripheral tears and even for those in the substance of the TFCC, whereas there are successful evolving techniques of repair of avulsed tears and those involving the substance of the ligaments on the radial side adjacent to the sigmoid notch. Here, we describe our technique of repairing substance tears of the TFCC arthroscopically without the need for any specialized equipment apart from the basic arthroscopy set. The technique was conducted in a patient with a transverse substance tear on the radial side of the triangular fibrocartilage involving the central disc with complete resolution of symptoms. It is a simple technique, which can be used to repair class 1B peripheral tears and pre-1D tears in the substance of the TFCC.