Arthroscopic foveal repair with suture anchors for traumatic tears of the triangular fibrocartilage complex

BACKGROUND: Foveal tears of the traumatic triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) are the most commonly neglected high-energy injuries of the wrist joint, and the patients with such tears often experience unrecovered ulnar-sided wrist pain and poor wrist function. This study investigated the functional outcomes of patients who underwent arthroscopic repair of foveal TFCC tears with suture anchors and adjuvant platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections after the surgery. METHODS: From September 2014 to August 2018, 156 men and 45 women with diagnoses of foveal TFCC tears without wrist fractures underwent arthroscopic repair by using the outside-in method with 1.3-mm suture anchors and subsequent PRP injection. After surgery, splinting was applied for 6 weeks, and the patients underwent rehabilitation, re-examination, and follow-up at our clinic. The patients’ wrist functional scores and grip strength data were retrospectively collected. RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 32.6 months, and the mean age was 26.7 years. The mean modified Mayo wrist score improved from 48.5 ± 2.6 to 82.4 ± 2.5, whereas the mean Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score decreased from 39.2 ± 6.7 to 10.6 ± 7.5. Overall, the wrist functions of 186 (92.5%) of the patients were satisfactory according to their modified Mayo wrist scores, and the patients with satisfactory scores returned to sports or work activities. These patients retained normal ranges of motion, and their average grip strength in the affected hand was restored to at least 85% of that of the other hand. CONCLUSIONS: According to the postoperative 25–36 months surgical results of our study, arthroscopic repair with adjuvant PRP injections is a satisfactory method of repairing early foveal tears of the TFCC and can enhance wrist function by relieving pain and increasing tolerance for work or sports.