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Assessment of pisotriquetral misalignment with magnetic resonance imaging: Is it associated with trauma?

  • Magnetic Resonance
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Abstract

Objective

Our objective was to determine whether there is an association between pisotriquetral (PT) malalignment and acute distal radius fracture by using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods

We evaluated 138 patients who underwent 3-T MRI of the wrists. Group A comprised 85 patients with acute distal radius fracture, and group B comprised 53 patients without trauma. PT interval and angle and pisiform excursion were measured on oblique axial and sagittal multiplanar reformats. The presence of abnormalities in the flexor carpi ulnaris tendon (FCU), pisometacarpal ligament (PML), and pisohamate ligament (PHL) were evaluated.

Results

PT interval was wider in group A on both the axial and sagittal planes (P < 0.001). Axial PT angle opened more radially in group A (P < 0.001), and the absolute value of the sagittal PT angle in group A was wider than that in group B (P = 0.006). Abnormalities in FCU, PML, and PHL were more frequently observed in group A (P < 0.001). On multiple linear regression, distal radius fracture remained significant after adjusting for the patient’s age and PT osteoarthritis.

Conclusions

Acute distal radius fracture can affect normal alignment of the PT joint, resulting in associated injuries to the primary PT joint stabilizers.

Key Points

• Acute distal radius fracture is associated with malalignment of PT joints.

• Acute distal radius fracture is associated with abnormalities of PT stabilizers.

• PT joint alignment can be evaluated with MRI with 3D sequences.

• Wrist MRI is useful for evaluating primary PT stabilizer injuries.

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Abbreviations

PT:

Pisotriquetral

FCU:

Flexor carpi ulnaris tendon

PML:

Pisometacarpal ligament

PHL:

Pisohamate ligament

PTUL:

Pisotriquetral ulnar ligament

TFCC:

Triangular fibrocartilage complex

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Acknowledgments

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Hye Jin Yoo. The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies, whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article. The authors state that this work has not received any funding. No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper. Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Written informed consent was waived by the Institutional Review Board. Methodology: retrospective, observational, performed at one institution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, 101, Daehak-Ro, Jongno-Gu, Seoul, 110-744, Korea

    Hee-Dong Chae, Hye Jin Yoo, Sung Hwan Hong & Ja-Young Choi

  2. Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, 300 Gumidong, Bundang-Gu, Seongnam-City, Gyeongi-Do, 463-707, Korea

    Heung Sik Kang

Authors
  1. Hee-Dong Chae
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  2. Hye Jin Yoo
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Correspondence to Hye Jin Yoo.

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Chae, HD., Yoo, H.J., Hong, S.H. et al. Assessment of pisotriquetral misalignment with magnetic resonance imaging: Is it associated with trauma?. Eur Radiol 27, 3033–3041 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-016-4624-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-016-4624-8

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