Arthrography of the wrist

Eighty-four wrist arthrograms were performed on 76 patients with posttraumatic wrist pain. Instillation of a small amount of contrast media into the radiocarpal joint under fluoroscopic control was helpful in delineating specific areas of pathology about the wrist. Comparison of the arthrographic findings with the plane films of 74 patients and the operative findings of 24 patients revealed that the arthrogram was most helpful in delineating perforations of the scapholunate ligament, the lunotriquetral ligament, the triangular fibrocartilage complex, and the wrist joint capsule.