The relationship of ulnar variance with pathologies detected by magnetic resonance imaging in patients with chronic or subacute wrist pain.

BACKGROUND

This study aims to determine whether ulnar variance (UV) types are associated with chronic or subacute ulnar-side wrist pain using 3 Tesla (T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to investigate potential relationships between UV, clinical data, and MRI-detected findings.

METHODS

This retrospective study included patients who presented with ulnar-side wrist pain for at least one month and underwent 3T MRI between January 2020 and October 2023. All demographic and clinical data, wrist radiography, and MRI images were obtained from computerized records. The patients were classified as having neutral-UV, negative-UV, and positive-UV.

RESULTS

In total, 272 patients were included in the analysis. Mean age was 40.57 ± 13.18 years and 63.60% (n = 173) of the subjects were female. Neutral UV was detected in 147 (54.04%) patients, negative UV in 106 (38.97%), and positive UV in 19 (6.99%). Patients in the negative-UV group were significantly younger than those in the neutral-UV and positive-UV groups (p = 0.013); however, the sex distribution was similar in all groups (p = 0.653). All patients with ulnar impingement were in the negative-UV group, whereas all subjects with ulnar impaction were in the positive-UV group (p < 0.001). Finally, triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) ruptures were significantly more common in the positive-UV group (p = 0.023).

CONCLUSION

There is a significant relationship between UV changes and ulnar impingement syndrome, ulnar impaction syndrome, and TFCC tears, which can be easily detected by MRI. The previously reported relationships between UV, sex, and other pathologies were not supported by our findings.