Mucoid degeneration of the triangular fibrocartilage complex

Last revised by Joachim Feger on 21 Aug 2020

Mucoid degeneration of the triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC) is a degenerative process that occurs with aging.

Degenerative change starts around the third decade and progressively increases in frequency and severity over subsequent decades. 

Mucoid degeneration affects the ground substance and usually comprises part of a range of degenerative anomalies including reduced cellularity, loss of elastic fibers, exposure of collagen fibers, fibrillation, erosion, ulceration, abnormal thinning and, ultimately, disc perforation.

Degenerative changes as a whole are more frequent and more intense on the ulnar surface, and they are always situated in the central part of the disc.

It is often seen as an area of global signal alteration (e.g. high T2 signal) of the TFCC without any surface disruption.

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