Wrist/Hand

Abstract

MRI imaging of the wrist and hand can be performed for evaluation of a variety of ligamentous, tendinous, and cartilaginous injuries. Due to the small size of these anatomic structures, using a dedicated wrist coil or small surface coil is recommended to achieve high enough resolution to adequately identify abnormalities. For injuries to the TFCC and intrinsic ligaments, detection of full tears is best assessed with MR arthrography, where dilute gadolinium contrast is injected directly in the radiocarpal joint. For evaluation of finger pathology, including at least one adjacent normal finger in its entirety is important on the sagittal images for comparison purposes. When imaging the thumb, it is important to acquire true coronal and sagittal images of the MCP joint especially when evaluating for ulnar collateral ligament injury. We include in this section the most common disorders encountered on MR imaging of the wrist and hand.