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Wrist: Carpal Instability Non-Dissociative

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We're now gonna move on to the second pattern

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by the Mayo classification system.

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Carpal instability, non dissociative, abbreviated sin.

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So this is derangement between rows but not in rows.

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So derangement between the radius and proximal carpal row.

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And I'll show you one example.

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We'll talk about NAR translocation

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and also between carpal rows

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and I'll show you a couple of examples of that.

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Nar translocation means that indeed what is happening,

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the proximal carpal row is migrating in an ulnar direction

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along the slanted surface of the distal radius,

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often related to problems involving the

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ulnar side of the wrist.

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It may be rheumatoid arthritis with erosion of the bone,

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Madeline type form deformity

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where the distal ulnar has been excised

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or with certain traumatic conditions.

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In order for these bones

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to slide in an ulnar direction this way

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produce translocation, you may ha you must have problems

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with the obliquely oriented extrinsic

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radiocarpal li uh ligaments.

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So we may see problems of the radio scaphoid,

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the radio sca fo capitate and the radio luno triquetral or,

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and also called the long radio lunate ligament.

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And that will allow the proximal carpal road a slide in

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an ulnar direction.

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So this is what it would look like.

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This is called type one nar translocation.

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The entire carpus has slid in an ulnar direction.

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The my drawing shows you disruption of the radio OID

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and radio scap o capitate ligaments.

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But this picture over here also shows you disruption

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of the radial no triquetral ligament.

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So those are the types of ligaments

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that will fail when you see this.

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This is an interesting pattern I've seen spontaneously in

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rheumatoid arthritis.

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This is a cadaver with rheumatoid arthritis.

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We sectioned it, the wrist coronally,

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and you can see the ulnar translocation type one

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with the lunate now locked in its position

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as it overlaps the distal radi.

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The type two

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is a problem in the scapholunate interosseous space.

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It leads to massive widening

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between the scaphoid and lunate.

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The prognosis for this particular type

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of problem is worse than a simple scapholunate dissociation.

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The scapholunate interosseous ligament is torn

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and some ligaments also including the radio lunar

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triquetral, may be torn as the lunate migrates, uh,

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in an ulnar direction.

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So here's an example.

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Uh, this was an interesting example

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because the patient did have a lunar triquetral,

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non osseous fusion as well.

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But you can see massive disruption.

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I'm showing you the scap lunate ligament failure at its

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lunate site of attachment.

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The scaphoid remains in place.

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So this would be a type two pattern of ulnar translocation.

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And then the other, and this is the part

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that's gonna be a little bit confusing, particularly

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for those of you who are beginning at this,

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is an entity known as mid carpal spin where the problem lies

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between the, the proximal and distal carpal row.

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And in general, to get problems between these two rows

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of carpal bones, you have to have problems with ligaments

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that cross the mid carpal joint, the arcuate

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and the deltoid ligament.

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There are four subcategories of this. I'm listing them here.

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I'm gonna show you only two of them.

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But here are diagrams indicating what is happening.

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And you can see here

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that the major abnormalities are at the level

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of the mid carpal compartment.

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Okay? So it's, it's not a problem within a compartment.

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It's a problem between two compartments.

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We to see this, you should have abnormalities of the arcuate

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and or deltoid ligaments.

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Let me show you two examples.

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The first one would be labeled dorsal mid carpal

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instability, dorsal subluxation of the capitate

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and dorsal tilting of the scaphoid and lunate.

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And typically there may be additional tearing

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of the radio scap capitate ligament.

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So here's the normal alignment.

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This is what happens with this pattern.

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The scaphoid and lunate move together

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because the ligaments between them are normal.

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The problem is in the position of the capitate

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with respect to the lunate.

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So here is what it looks like.

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You can see this, uh, in beautiful uh, diagram here

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and I'll show you what it looks like.

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So note that there is dorsi flexion of the scaphoid,

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but there is dorsiflexion of the lunate.

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So there's no dissociation.

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It's the capitate in its position,

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which is dorsally translated.

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Okay, that makes this a mid carpal instability,

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specifically dorsal mid carpal instability.

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And then there is the other type I wanted

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to show you extrinsic.

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This is a similar problem that occurs typically related

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to Amal united fracture of the distal radius.

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So let me show you here is normal alignment.

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Here is a malted fracture of the distal radius.

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As you know, there's often dorsal tilting

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Of the articular surface

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and you can see the MA alignment that may accompany that

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with abnormalities centered in the mid carpal joint.

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Here is what it looks like.

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This is a remote ma united fracture of the radius.

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The scaphoid is dorsally tilted as is the lunate.

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They're moving together. The capitate is translated in

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a dorsal direction.

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This is known as extrinsic, mid carpal instability.

Report

Faculty

Stephen J Pomeranz, MD

Chief Medical Officer, ProScan Imaging. Founder, MRI Online

ProScan Imaging

Donald Resnick, MD

Professor Emeritus, Department of Radiology

University of California, San Diego

Tags

Musculoskeletal (MSK)

MRI

Hand & Wrist