It Is Not Only the Meniscus That Flips—A Case of TFCC Tear with a Flipped Fragment in the Distal Radioulnar Joint

Abstract

Acute wrist injuries with ongoing ulnar-sided wrist pain warrant a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to diagnose ligamentous injuries. Triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) tears have been classified and described in the literature but complex tear patterns have limited representation. Bucket-handle tears of the TFCC represent only 0.5% of TFCC tears and have recently been identified, posing a diagnostic and management challenge. Preoperative diagnosis is possible with MRI and necessary for optimal and early surgical management. The authors describe a unique case of a flipped tear of the central disc of the TFCC, where the fragment was flipped into the distal radioulnar joint, a site hidden during routine arthroscopy.

Keywords

• triangular fibrocartilage tear
• flipped tfcc
• mri in tfcc tear