Ulnar impaction syndrome: how to diagnose and treat?

Abstract

Ulnar impaction syndrome (UIS), also called ulnocarpal abutment syndrome, is a degenerative condition induced by repeated loads on the ulnocarpal joint and is a representative cause of ulnar-sided wrist pain. Because of the small, complex, and overlapping anatomy of the ulnar wrist, ulnar wrist pathologies often present very similar symptoms to those of UIS, which causes confusion in diagnosing UIS. Thus, careful history-taking, clinical examinations, and diagnostic imaging are essential for the diagnosis of UIS. As appropriate and effective treatment for UIS, early surgical treatment should be considered if patients cannot reduce their wrist usage in daily living and work and have distal radioulnar instability. There are various surgical techniques for UIS. Surgeons should be deliberate in choosing a technique and pay attention to accompanying disorders around the ulnar wrist to achieve satisfactory treatment outcomes.