Ulnar sided wrist pain and distal radioulnar joint osteoarthritis; is surgical arthroplasty enough?

Distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) arthritis is a common cause of ulnar wrist pain in rheumatoid and osteoarthritis. Modified arthroplasty for the DRUJ is a minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of isolated DRUJ osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the procedure and the incidence of related ulnar wrist pathology as well as the incidence of subsequent ulnar wrist surgeries. All patients having modified arthroplasty for the DRUJ between 1994-2008 were retrospectively reviewed. Measurements included range of motion, grip strength, and subjective status. Data regarding other wrist surgeries was recorded. There were 29 patients, 23 of which had a follow-up of over 8 weeks (average 16 months, SD=24). Fourteen patients had no to minimal pain, 6 had pain with heavier activities (2 severe), and 2 reported constant pain at the surgical site. Of the 4 more painful patients, three had additional surgery after the DRUJ arthroplasty. In all 96% of the patients had another procedure involving the ulnar-wrist complex either prior to surgery, at the time of surgery or following surgery for modified arthroplasty. We suggest that pathology involving the ulnar-wrist complex is often a syndrome consisting of multiple related diagnoses including but not limited to arthritis of the DRUJ. Multiple procedures may be needed, or a more aggressive approach such as ulnar head replacement may be indicated so that pathology at both the distal radioulnar and ulnocarpal joints is addressed concomitantly.