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Introduction: The diagnostic value of clinical tests and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging for the investigation of triangular fibrocartilaginous complex (TFCC) lesions is not clear due to a lack of clinical data., Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 908 patients who underwent clinical tests and arthroscopy for suspected TFCC lesions at our institution. Further, MR imaging findings concerning the TFCC were gathered. We correlated clinical tests and MR imaging findings with those obtained during arthroscopy, and we calculated sensitivity, specificity, as well as positive and negative predictive values., Results: In the whole cohort, the positive predictive values of all clinical tests were low, ranging from 0.53 to 0.55. The ulna grinding test had the highest sensitivity, but lowest specificity. Sensitivity and specificity of the ulnar fovea sign and magnetic resonance imaging were similar, ranging from 0.73 to 0.76, and from 0.41 to 0.44, respectively. To some degree, the diagnostic value seemed to depend on the Palmer class of TFCC lesion., Conclusions: According to this study, clinical tests and MR imaging findings are of very limited diagnostic value for the diagnosis of TFCC lesions.

Objectives: In individual cases, routine preoperative imaging might not be sufficient for optimal planning of cardiovascular procedures. Three-dimensional printing (3D), a widely used technique to build life-like replicas of anatomical structures that has proven value in different medical disciplines, might overcome these shortcomings. However, data on 3D printing in cardiovascular medicine are limited to single reports. This stimulated us to present our single-centre experience with 3D printing models in cardiac surgery and interventional cardiology., Methods: Between the years 2006 and 2013, we fabricated 3D printing models using preoperative computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging data in paediatric and adult cardiac surgery, as well as interventional cardiology. We present the 8 most representative cases., Results: The models were very helpful for perioperative planning and orientation, as well as simulation of procedures due to the exact and life-like illustration of the cardiovascular anatomy., Conclusions: The fabrication of 3D printing models is feasible for perioperative planning and simulation in a variety of complex cases in paediatric and adult cardiac surgery, as well as in interventional cardiology. Further studies including more patients and providing more data are expected to demonstrate that the use of 3D printing may decrease morbidity and mortality of complex, non-routine procedures in cardiovascular medicine., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.)