Bilateral three-compartment wrist arthrography in patients with unilateral wrist pain: findings and implications for management

Bilateral three-compartment wrist arthrography was performed in 30 patients with unilateral post-traumatic wrist pain to assess the incidence of bilateral findings. The mean age of patients was 30 (range 18-55) years. Thirty-three percent of patients were normal bilaterally, 30% had unilateral communication in the symptomatic wrist, 30% had communications in both the symptomatic and asymptomatic wrists and 7% had communication in the asymptomatic wrist only. Unilateral three-compartment wrist arthrography is not recommended in the assessment of unilateral post-traumatic wrist pain; no advantage of three-compartment injection over radiocarpal injection alone was shown. (orig.)