Aims and objectives
There have been many studies and classifications of the complex network of ligaments on the ulnar side of the wrist.
Comparing various authors’ interpretations of the anatomy of terminology of this region,
there is little consensus and no universal agreement.
A review by Brown,
et al.
quickly notes the different terminology used by different authors’ classifications to describe the ligaments of the wrist.1 Hogikyan showed the existence of an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) at that originates in the ulnar styloid,
blends with the triangular fibrocartilage...
Methods and materials
This study was approved by the institutional review board at our institute.
We examined morphology and variations of the ulnar and RCLs of the wrist in 34 subjects (21 males and 13 females; 11 asymptomatic normal volunteers and 23 patients with wrist pain) with high-resolution 3D isotropic and 2D FSE MR images at 3T MRI.
Subjects ranged in age from 15 to 84 years,
with a mean of 46.5 years (42.9 years for volunteers and 48.3 years for patients).
All MR images were obtained using...
Results
In the UCL analysis,
two cases out of 34 subjects were excluded from the analysis because of one for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) and the other for prior severe fracture.
The UCL was not identified in 2 subjects on either isotropic 3D or conventional 2D images.
One was a healthy volunteer and the other was a patient with a prior history of ulnar styloid fracture.
Table 1 shows the result of classification of the UCL attachment.
After using oblique coronal MPR images,
eight cases (25%)...
Conclusion
The UCL and RCL were classified into 4 subtypes,
respectively.
The both UCL and RCL were well identified with high-resolution 2D and isotropic 3D MRI equally.
MPR is useful to identify UCL attachment to the ulnar styloid more accurately.
References
1. Brown RR,
Fliszar E,
Cotten A,
Trudell D,
Resnick D.
Extrinsic and intrinsic ligaments of the wrist: normal and pathologic anatomy at MR arthrography with three-compartment enhancement.
Radiographics : a review publication of the Radiological Society of North America,
Inc. May-Jun 1998;18(3):667-674.
2. Hogikyan JV,
Louis DS.
Embryologic development and variations in the anatomy of the ulnocarpal ligamentous complex.
The Journal of hand surgery. Jul 1992;17(4):719-723.
3. Bogumill GP.
Anatomy of the wrist.
The wrist and its disorders.
Philadelphia: WB Saunders. 1988;21.
4. Nakamura...