Distal Metaphyseal Shortening Osteotomy of the Ulna.

There are several treatment options for ulnocarpal abutment syndromeor symptomaticpositiveulnar variancewrist, suchas conventional ulnar shortening with plate or arthroscopic or openWafer’s procedure. Ulnar shortening procedure can stabilize the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) simultaneously with decompressing the ulnocarpal joint, resulting in an excellent clinical result; however, this procedure also has disadvantages: increase of pressure in the DRUJ indicating subsequent DRUJ osteoarthritic changes, nonunionof the shortening site because of the plate fixation failure, and refracture after removal of the plate. ArthroscopicWafer’s procedure simply resects the triangularfibrocartilage complex (TFCC) and recesses the ulnar head for decompression of the ulnocarpal joint, while this has not a stabilizing effect on the DRUJ. In 2007, Slade and Gillon described metaphyseal shortening osteotomy on the ulna neck with fixation of the single or double Acutrak screw(s) from the ulnar head to the ulnar shaft.1 Metaphyseal osteotomy has an advantage of earlier union of the osteotomy site, while this includes the slight radial translocation of the fovea insertion of the radioulnar ligament (RUL) thatmay result in destabilization effectof theDRUJandlonger shorteningcannotbepossiblewith this procedure. People may believe that this article is the first description of the metaphyseal shortening osteotomy of the ulna. Almost 14 years before when Slade published his procedure, Kitano et al described his technique of metaphyseal osteotomy of the ulna2 with Herbert’s screw fixation, inserting at the fovea of the ulna. This procedure had a risk to damage the fovea insertion of the RUL, so I remember that I did argue about this risk to Dr. Kitano in a meeting at the Japanese Society for Surgery of the Hand in 1993. Later, Yoshida et al modified Kitano’s techniquewith fixation of the metaphyseal ulna with a Herbert’s screw from the head of the ulna to the ulnar shaft.3 This could avoid any violence into the fovea area, still including a risk to destabilize the DRUJ when the RUL was partially injured at the fovea. However, when the TFCC is intact, the metaphyseal ulnar shortening procedure may obtain excellent and good clinical results. This issue features the Special Review Article on “Distal ulnar metaphyseal wedge osteotomy for ulnar abutment syndrome” authored by Kubo, Moritomo, Arimitsu, Nishimoto, and Yoshida with their clinical results of 43 patients who underwent their distal metaphyseal osteotomy of the ulna. I am proud of their first article on metaphyseal ulnar shortening procedure in English language. Various other original techniques or research have been written in languages other than English, but have remained unnoticed because of the language. The Journal of Wrist Surgerywill try to pick such manuscripts and introduce them to readers under the section of “Special Review Article.” Interesting wrist papers such as proximal scaphoid biomechanics, problems on median nerve with distal radius fracture, anatomy of the first extensor compartment, ulnar shortening for ulnocarpal abutment syndrome, all arthroscopic TFCC repair, scaphoid proximal nonunion treatment, interesting case reports, and systematic review of cast fixation for distal radius fracture are also included in this issue. Do not miss it!