Background: Diagnosis of foveal triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) tears remains difficult. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether dynamic computed tomography (CT) of the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) has a higher sensitivity in detecting foveal tears of the TFCC when compared with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Methods: A database query identified all patients above the age of 18 years with suspected foveal TFCC injuries who underwent bilateral dynamic CT imaging of the DRUJ, static 3T MRI, and subsequent wrist arthroscopy. All patients had evidence of foveal tenderness on clinical examination. The imaging results were validated with wrist arthroscopy.
Results: Twelve patients with a mean age of 31 years (range, 18-53 years) were identified. Eight patients were diagnosed with a complete foveal detachment of the TFCC on wrist arthroscopy. Of the 8 patients with a foveal tear on DRUJ arthroscopy, only 3 had a preoperative physical examination suggestive of DRUJ instability. Magnetic resonance imaging identified foveal injuries in 4 of these 8 patients (sensitivity, 50%), and 3 of these were identified as only partial tears. Dynamic CT identified instability of DRUJ in 6 of 8 patients (sensitivity, 75%). Seven of 8 patients had imaging findings suggestive of a foveal tear when including either MRI or CT imaging (sensitivity, 88%). Of the 4 patients with an intact foveal attachment on arthroscopy, 3 (specificity, 75%) had a stable DRUJ on CT and all 4 (specificity, 100%) had an intact foveal attachment on MRI.
Conclusion: Sixty-two percent of patients with foveal tears on arthroscopy have a stable DRUJ on clinical examination. When combining MRI and dynamic CT imaging of the DRUJ, the sensitivity of detecting a foveal TFCC tear approaches 88% compared with a gold standard of wrist arthroscopy.
Keywords: distal radioulnar joint; dynamic computed tomography; foveal tears; magnetic resonance imaging; triangular fibrocartilage complex.