Biomechanical Comparison of Open and Arthroscopic Transosseous Repair of Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Foveal Tears: A Cadaveric Study.

PURPOSE: To biomechanically compare the stability between open repair and arthroscopic transosseous repair technique for reattachment of the foveal triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC). We also evaluated the feasibility of a new aiming device for the creation of 2 bone tunnels simultaneously during the arthroscopic technique.

METHODS: Six matched pairs of fresh-frozen forearm cadaver specimens were prepared for testing. Group I specimens were treated by open repair with suture anchor. Group II specimens were treated by arthroscopic transosseous suture with a new aiming device. Before and after disruption of the TFCC fovea and after its repair, dorsal and palmar translation of the ulna was measured in both groups in response to a load (3 kg) applied in the palmar and then in the dorsal direction. The total translation of the ulna was calculated as the sum of the mean dorsal and palmar translations.

RESULTS: The mean total ulnar translation before and after TFCC disruption, and after TFCC repair was 5.94 ± 2.16 mm, 9.08 ± 2.64 mm, and 6.04 ± 2.18 mm, respectively. The specimens demonstrated a significant increase in the total translation of the ulna after disruption of the ulnar attachment of TFCC (P = .003), whereas a significant decrease was observed after TFCC foveal repair (P = .003). The median percentage of eliminated translation after TFCC repair was 64% and 172%, respectively, in groups I and II (P = .043).

CONCLUSIONS: The athroscopic transosseous suture technique demonstrated superior repair efficacy to the open repair technique in terms of biomechanical strength. This cadaveric study also demonstrated the feasibility of a new aiming device.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE: When making decisions about TFCC foveal repair, arthroscopic transosseous suture technique may provide better biomechanical strength than the open repair technique.