Editorial Commentary: The Hook Test Is More Accurate for Detecting Foveal Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Tears but Not More Important Than the Trampoline Test

Abstract

Wrist arthroscopy is a successful tool to diagnose and treat several intra-articular wrist pathologies. To assess the stability and integrity of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC), the most commonly injured structure in the ulnocarpal compartment, the trampoline and hook tests are frequently used in daily practice. However, their arthroscopic performance measures have not been well elucidated to date. While the hook test may primarily be seen as a sensitive tool to detect foveal TFCC tears, the trampoline test is of equal importance for the clinician because it can detect frequently occurring superficial (distal) tears in the peripheral TFCC area. As opposed to the hook test, however, the trampoline test might more easily lead to interrater disagreement since the rebound after probing is rather a continuum than a binary measure and might be related to a different severity of peripheral TFCC disruption. The combination of both tests should thus be pursued since they complement each other very well. Proper interpretation of the tests needs sufficient experience and should be done in concordance with the clinical evaluation (ie, fovea sign, distal radioulnar joint ballottement test). Hence, the hook test may be more accurate to detect foveal TFCC tears but all together not more important than the trampoline test to establish the correct diagnosis. For once, Captain Hook has won!