Scapholunate interosseous ligament disruption in professional basketball players: treatment by direct repair and dorsal ligamentoplasty.

In the authors' experience scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL) disruption with resultant scapholunate dissociation (SLD) is the most frequent disabling carpal injury among professional basketball players. Prompt diagnosis, precision surgical repair, and intensive sport-specific rehabilitation are requisites for optimal recovery. This article reports the techniques and results of a consistent surgical protocol comprising accurate carpal reduction, direct SLIL repair, and dorsal intercarpal ligament augmentation for 25 professional basketball players with disabling SLD. Follow-up assessment supports the contention that early surgery, prior to scar contracture, facilitates treatment and enhances outcome.