Malunion of the ulnar styloid as a cause of ulnar wrist pain.

We present a case of ulnar wrist pain that had been wrongly attributed to non-union of the ulnar styloid. Surgical exploration revealed an ulnar styloid malunion that had caused pain by impinging on the triquetrum and a triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFC) lesion. There was no fracture of the distal radius and no associated carpal instability or disruption of the distal radio-ulnar joint. Treatment by resection of the ulnar styloid and re-attachment of the TFC provided a satisfactory outcome. Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.