Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

MRI of wrist ligament trauma was similar at 7 T and 3 T with arthroscopy as a reference standard

Götestrand, Simon LU ; Flondell, Magnus LU orcid ; Lundin, Björn LU ; Aksyuk, Elena ; Shalhoub, Rami Abu ; Szaro, Pawel ; Hedström, Erik LU orcid ; Björkman, Anders LU and Geijer, Mats LU (2025) In European Radiology
Abstract

Objectives: The aim was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 7 Tesla (T) and 3 T in patients with clinically suspected injury of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) or the scapholunate ligament (SLL) using wrist arthroscopy as a reference standard. Methods: Twenty-four patients scheduled for wrist arthroscopy due to suspected TFCC or SLL injury were examined with 7-T and 3-T MRI before arthroscopy. Four musculoskeletal radiologists independently evaluated the MR examinations in randomized order, and the findings were compared to those at wrist arthroscopy. Results: Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for TFCC injuries were 0.85, 0.68, and 0.82 for 7 T and 0.75, 0.73, and 0.77 for 3 T,... (More)

Objectives: The aim was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 7 Tesla (T) and 3 T in patients with clinically suspected injury of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) or the scapholunate ligament (SLL) using wrist arthroscopy as a reference standard. Methods: Twenty-four patients scheduled for wrist arthroscopy due to suspected TFCC or SLL injury were examined with 7-T and 3-T MRI before arthroscopy. Four musculoskeletal radiologists independently evaluated the MR examinations in randomized order, and the findings were compared to those at wrist arthroscopy. Results: Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for TFCC injuries were 0.85, 0.68, and 0.82 for 7 T and 0.75, 0.73, and 0.77 for 3 T, respectively. For SLL injuries, the corresponding values were 0.70, 0.65, and 0.74 for 7 T and 0.69, 0.55, and 0.70 for 3 T, respectively. For both TFCC and SLL injuries, no statistically significant difference between 7 T and 3 T was found, and the confidence intervals for accuracy overlapped (0.67–0.94 vs 0.63–0.88 for TFCC injuries and 0.59–0.89 vs 0.52–0.86 for SLL injuries). In 14 of 24 patients (58%), MRI contributed findings of additional types of injuries, e.g., tendon injuries and ganglia, vital for a complete diagnosis. Conclusions: The diagnostic accuracy of MRI at 7 T was similar to 3 T for detecting injury to the TFCC and the SLL. A majority of injuries were correctly diagnosed by MRI, but some injuries found using arthroscopy were missed. Key Points: Question Previous studies have found that MRI cannot reliably diagnose or rule out TFCC or SLL injury, compared to the current reference standard wrist arthroscopy. Findings The diagnostic accuracy for MRI at 7 T was similar to 3 T for detecting injuries to the TFCC and the SLL. Clinical relevance Although MRI cannot replace wrist arthroscopy, it is an important complementary tool in the diagnostic workup of suspected wrist ligament injuries, with the ability to diagnose additional types of pathologies not accessible by arthroscopy.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
Arthroscopies, Articular Ligaments, Imaging (Magnetic Resonance), Injuries (Wrist), Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex
in
European Radiology
publisher
Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
external identifiers
  • scopus:105004686764
  • pmid:40341973
ISSN
0938-7994
DOI
10.1007/s00330-025-11656-4
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
73fe41e6-0773-4d54-a44a-b3d308f9f310
date added to LUP
2025-09-18 12:37:02
date last changed
2025-10-16 16:29:03
@article{73fe41e6-0773-4d54-a44a-b3d308f9f310,
  abstract     = {{<p>Objectives: The aim was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 7 Tesla (T) and 3 T in patients with clinically suspected injury of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) or the scapholunate ligament (SLL) using wrist arthroscopy as a reference standard. Methods: Twenty-four patients scheduled for wrist arthroscopy due to suspected TFCC or SLL injury were examined with 7-T and 3-T MRI before arthroscopy. Four musculoskeletal radiologists independently evaluated the MR examinations in randomized order, and the findings were compared to those at wrist arthroscopy. Results: Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy for TFCC injuries were 0.85, 0.68, and 0.82 for 7 T and 0.75, 0.73, and 0.77 for 3 T, respectively. For SLL injuries, the corresponding values were 0.70, 0.65, and 0.74 for 7 T and 0.69, 0.55, and 0.70 for 3 T, respectively. For both TFCC and SLL injuries, no statistically significant difference between 7 T and 3 T was found, and the confidence intervals for accuracy overlapped (0.67–0.94 vs 0.63–0.88 for TFCC injuries and 0.59–0.89 vs 0.52–0.86 for SLL injuries). In 14 of 24 patients (58%), MRI contributed findings of additional types of injuries, e.g., tendon injuries and ganglia, vital for a complete diagnosis. Conclusions: The diagnostic accuracy of MRI at 7 T was similar to 3 T for detecting injury to the TFCC and the SLL. A majority of injuries were correctly diagnosed by MRI, but some injuries found using arthroscopy were missed. Key Points: Question Previous studies have found that MRI cannot reliably diagnose or rule out TFCC or SLL injury, compared to the current reference standard wrist arthroscopy. Findings The diagnostic accuracy for MRI at 7 T was similar to 3 T for detecting injuries to the TFCC and the SLL. Clinical relevance Although MRI cannot replace wrist arthroscopy, it is an important complementary tool in the diagnostic workup of suspected wrist ligament injuries, with the ability to diagnose additional types of pathologies not accessible by arthroscopy.</p>}},
  author       = {{Götestrand, Simon and Flondell, Magnus and Lundin, Björn and Aksyuk, Elena and Shalhoub, Rami Abu and Szaro, Pawel and Hedström, Erik and Björkman, Anders and Geijer, Mats}},
  issn         = {{0938-7994}},
  keywords     = {{Arthroscopies; Articular Ligaments; Imaging (Magnetic Resonance); Injuries (Wrist); Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Science and Business Media B.V.}},
  series       = {{European Radiology}},
  title        = {{MRI of wrist ligament trauma was similar at 7 T and 3 T with arthroscopy as a reference standard}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00330-025-11656-4}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00330-025-11656-4}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}