e-Anatomy

Images provided by Sorin Ghiea & Emi Preda - MD

In this module on the anatomy of the wrist in 3T MRI, we have captioned over 340 anatomical structures in 208 MR images of the wrist and 3D reconstructions of the carpal bones.

Anatomy of the wrist (MR) : Carpal tunnel - Ulnar canal

This module is an aid to learning and daily practice of magnetic resonance imaging of the wrist, aimed rather at a specialised audience (radiologists, surgeons, rheumatologists and physicians specialising in musculoskeletal imaging).

Images of the wrist in 3T MRI and in 3D

The MRI images of the elbow were derived from a healthy volunteer. Image acquisition was performed on a 3 Tesla MRI with a thickness of 4 mm in contiguous sections. We used the commonly used weightings (and RFP-FatSat T1) and impacts (axial, coronal and sagittal) in medical imaging studies of the wrist.

Wrist joint : MRI

The 3D images of the wrist joint and carpal bones are three-dimensional reconstructions obtained from a scanner.

Carpal bones

Captions for the anatomical structures of the carpus

340 anatomical structures of the wrist have been captioned, accessible via the "anatomical structures" tab:

• General anatomy: shows the different regions of the wrist and hand (carpal, metacarpal, hypothenar and thenar eminence,)
• Bone: presents the anatomy of the bones of the wrist, subdivided into radius, ulna, carpal bones (scaphoid, lunate, pisiform, triquetrum, hamatum, capitatum, trapezoid and trapezium) and the metacarpal bones
• Articulation: details the different joints of the carpus, including the distal radioulnar joint, the radiocarpal, midcarpal and carpometacarpal articulations.

Anatomy of the wrist on 3T MR (axial, sagittal and coronal slices) and 3D views of the carpal bones : Wrist joint, Midcarpal joint, Carpometacarpal joints

• Ligaments: all the ligaments of the wrist visible in MRI are shown on this anatomical module, including collateral ligaments, the radiocarpal and ulnocarpal ligaments as well as the intercarpal ligaments.
• Muscles: mainly the muscles of the forearm and the palmar region (muscles of the little finger, thumb muscles)
• Tendons: the many tendons of the wrist are all captioned on this picture, from the tendon of the flexor carpi radials to the flexor digitorum profundus tendon.
• Fascia / aponeuroses: notably displays the transverse carpal ligament (flexor retinaculum) and the palmar fascia. The carpal tunnel and ulnar canal (Guyon's) are visible using the articulations tab.
• Carpal tendon sheaths: describes the various synovial sheaths surrounding the tendons of the wrist tendon: sheath of the extensor muscles of the fingers, sheath of the flexor carpi radialis, tendon sheath of the long thumb flexor...

The wrist anatomy on 3T MR and 3D pictures : Tendons, Carpal tendinous sheaths

• Arteries: the radial and ulnar arteries are detailed on this MRI of the wrist, as well as their branches and the various dorsal and palmar arches.
• Veins: represented by the superficial venous system of the hand (dorsal hand veins, basilic vein, cephalic vein) and the deep venous system of the wrist (branches of the ulnar and radial veins).
• Nerves: shows the innervation of the wrist by its main nerves and their branches (ulnar, median and radial nerves).

 The Details tab

This allows the user to choose to display all the anatomical legends of the wrist region or to only display the most important anatomical structures in order not to overload the images.

The weightings tab

Allows the display of this MRI scan of the wrist in T1 or DP-FatSat weighting

Language and anatomical terminology

We have used the Terminologia Anatomica to caption for all the anatomical structures, with translations into English, French, Japanese, German, Chinese, Portuguese, Russian, Czech and Spanish.