Failures of the three-ligament tenodesis for chronic static scapholunate dissociation are due to insufficient reduction


Published online: Oct 27 2011

Luc DE SMET, Sofie GOEMINNE, Ilse DEGREEF

From the University Hospitals of Leuven, Pellenberg Campus, Pellenberg, Belgium

Abstract

We retrospectively reviewed 13 patients who had successfully undergone three-ligament tenodesis for scapholunate instability, and compared the radiological outcome with 14 failed cases. The scapholunate angle in the failed group increased from 73° to 81° with a scapholunate gap of 5.32 mm, compared to a decrease in the successful group from 76° to 66° with a scapholunate gap of 2.94 mm. Postoperative radiographs may thus have a prognostic value and can also be used if confronted with a patient with persisting symptoms after operation. Salvage procedures may offer a better solution when tenodesis has failed and reduction is insufficient on radiographs, and we believe that redo operations are not indicated, when the initial reduction already failed.