Arthroscopy assisted single bone tunnel two stranded en Masse repair for peripheral triangular fibrocartilage complex tears

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed (1) to provide a stepwise, reproducible description of a single-bone-tunnel, two-stranded, anchorless ligament-specific (‘en Masse’) repair for traumatic peripheral TFCC tears, and (2) to evaluate one-year clinical outcomes and exploratory prognostic factors in a retrospective consecutive case series. Forty-eight patients were retrospectively included. Postoperatively, ballottement testing revealed no detectable distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) laxity ( p  < 0.001). The mean visual analog scale (VAS) pain score (7.2 to 1.9), grip strength (66.1% to 81.3%), Mayo wrist score (MWS, 64.3 to 81.9), and Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score (37.1 to 12.7) were improved postoperatively ( p  < 0.001). There were no surgery-related complications. On multivariable analysis, longer symptom duration ( p  = 0.031) and positive ulnar variance ( p  = 0.045) were associated with lower MWS; model fit was modest ( R 2 =0.224). Arthroscopic-assisted en Masse repair for peripheral TFCC tears was associated with improved clinical outcomes at one year or more after surgery, and postoperative ballottement testing revealed no detectable DRUJ laxity. Within this cohort, one-year follow-up precluded assessment of long-term durability; also, applicability to degenerative/chronic peripheral TFCC tears remains undetermined.