Radial Styloidectomy: Open Versus Arthroscopic.

Hand Clin · May 2026 · Review

Fontan FR, Ahmed AS

Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, 7200 Cambridge Street Suite 10A

Hand & Upper Extremity

SUMMARY — THE REDUCTIONReviews radial styloidectomy for radioscaphoid arthritis and impingement, comparing open access with arthroscopic technique, which offers better visualization and helps preserve the radioscaphocapitate ligament to avoid instability and ulnar carpal translation.
Abstract, as published

Radial styloidectomy (RS) is a surgical procedure used to address radioscaphoid arthritis and radioscaphoid impingement. It involves removing the distal portion of the radial styloid to relieve pressure on the radioscaphoid joint. The procedure can be performed open or arthroscopically. Open RS provides direct access but can be more invasive, while arthroscopic RS offers better visualization and preservation of volar radiocarpal ligaments such as the radioscaphocapitate (RSC). The key challenge in RS is preserving the integrity of surrounding structures, particularly the RSC ligament, to avoid complications such as instability and ulnar carpal translation.

Featured in the 2026-09-30 issue.

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