Chronic Longitudinal Instability of the Forearm Treated With a Combination of Ulnar Shortening Osteotomy, Pronator Teres Transfer, and Tightrope Technique.

Restoration of longitudinal stability of the forearm continues to pose a difficult challenge for the hand surgeon, and no technique has demonstrated success above others. Longitudinal stability to the forearm is conferred by 3 structures: the radial head, which acts as a primary stabilizer, the interosseous membrane, more specifically, the central band and, the distal radioulnar ligaments which are part of the triangular fibrocartilage complex. A combination of techniques is described in this article to address chronic longitudinal instability of the forearm: (1) ulnar shortening osteotomy to restore ulnar variance, (2) pronator teres transfer was used to reconstruct the central band of the interosseous membrane, and (3) tightrope augmentation was used to prevent elongation during the healing process.