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Wrist arthroscopy safe for pediatric wrists, study finds
Farr S. International Orthopaedics. 2011. doi: 10.1007/s00264-011-1428-y
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Although the authors of this study found wrist arthroscopy to be a safe method for the detection and treatment of pediatric wrist disorders, they cautioned that the procedure should only be done by hand surgeons with proper experience and training.
The authors performed a retrospective data review of patients who underwent wrist arthroscopy between 2002 and 2011, with a basic inclusion criteria of chronic, therapy refractory wrist pain for 3 months or more in patients 18 years of age or younger. Overall, there were 34 arthroscopies in 27 girls and 6 boys with a mean age of 14.6 years.
The authors found that 28 of the wrists (82.4%) displayed triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) tears, with 26 of 34 wrists (76.5%) displaying additional pathologies. These findings resulted in 14 arthroscopic TFCC repairs, two arthroscopic TFCC repairs and seven open resection arthroplasties.
The authors reported no intraoperative or postoperative arthroscopy-related complications, with no relevant technical differences to wrist arthroscopy in adults being experienced aside from major anatomical malformation cases.