The triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) is a significant stabilizer of the distal radioulnar joint. Diagnosing TFCC injury is currently difficult, but ultrasonography (US) has emerged as a low-cost, minimally invasive diagnostic tool. We aimed to quantitatively analyze TFCC by performing motion analysis by using US. Twelve healthy volunteers, comprising 24 wrists (control group), and 15 patients with TFCC Palmer type 1B injuries (injury group) participated. The US transducer was positioned between the ulnar styloid process and triquetrum and was tilted ulnarly 30° from the vertical line. The wrist was then actively moved from 10° of radial deviation to 20° of ulnar deviation in a 60-rounds-per-minute rhythm that was paced by a metronome. The articular disc displacement velocity magnitude was analyzed by using particle image velocimetry fluid measurement software. The mean area of the articular discs was larger on ulnar deviation in the control group. The mean articular disc area on radial deviation was larger in the injury group. The average articular disc velocity magnitude for the injury group was significantly higher than that for the control group. The results suggest that patients with TFCC injury lose articular disc cushioning and static stability, and subsequent abnormal motion can be analyzed by using US.
Keywords: PIV; TFCC; articular disc; dynamic analysis; ultrasonography.