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Bucket-handle tear of the triangular fibrocartilage complex: case report of a complex peripheral injury with separation of the distal radioulnar ligaments from the articular disc

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Abstract

Palmer previously proposed a classification system of triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) injuries that proved to be useful in directing clinical management. However, dorsal peripheral tears (variants of class 1C) were not described and have rarely been reported in the literature since. We herewith present a rare case of bucket-handle tear of the TFCC. To our knowledge, this is the first case demonstrating partial separation of both the palmar and dorsal distal radioulnar ligaments (DRULs) from the articular disc. The particular wrist magnetic resonance (MR) arthrographic findings of this unusual complex peripheral TFCC tear (a variant of both class 1B and 1C) were nicely appreciated upon sagittal reformatted images.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully thank Philippe Clavel for his computer graphics work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, University of Lausanne, Rue du Bugnon 46, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Nicolas Theumann, Ehab M. Kamel & Fabio Becce

  2. Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, Clinique Longeraie and Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, 1003, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Christof Bollmann

  3. Division of Plastic and Hand Surgery, Clinique Longeraie and Centre Médical de Vidy, 1007, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Michael Sturzenegger

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  1. Nicolas Theumann
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  2. Ehab M. Kamel
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  3. Christof Bollmann
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  4. Michael Sturzenegger
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  5. Fabio Becce
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Fabio Becce.

Additional information

Ehab M. Kamel and Fabio Becce contributed equally to this work.

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Theumann, N., Kamel, E.M., Bollmann, C. et al. Bucket-handle tear of the triangular fibrocartilage complex: case report of a complex peripheral injury with separation of the distal radioulnar ligaments from the articular disc. Skeletal Radiol 40, 1617–1621 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-011-1269-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-011-1269-1

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