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# Wrist cartilage (radius)

The wrist cartilage of the [radius](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/radius/) covers the end of the radius where the wrist bones sit; a fracture that leaves a step here can lead to arthritis.

Official name: Articular cartilage of the distal radius

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## What it is

The smooth surface at the end of the radius that meets the scaphoid and lunate.

## What it does

Lets the wrist bend smoothly; a fracture that steps this surface can lead to arthritis.

## Key points

- Two concave facets, the scaphoid fossa and the lunate fossa, separated by a low ridge; the sigmoid notch on the ulnar side takes the ulnar head
- Commonly quoted normal X-ray values: radial inclination about 22°, radial height about 11 mm, palmar tilt about 11°; restoring them and an articular step under 2 mm guide fracture care
- SLAC wrist: after a long-standing [scapholunate ligament](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/scapholunate-interosseous-ligament/) tear, arthritis starts between the radial styloid and the scaphoid and spreads; the radiolunate joint is typically spared

## Key facts

**Where**
Scaphoid and lunate fossae of the distal radius; ulnar notch

**Function**
Radiocarpal joint surface

## Relations

**Below**
[Scaphoid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/scaphoid/) and [lunate](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/lunate/), across the radiocarpal joint

**Medial**
[TFCC](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/triangular-fibrocartilage-complex/), whose articular disc attaches to the edge of the sigmoid notch, and the ulnar head turning in the notch

**In front**
[Palmar wrist ligaments](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/palmar-radiocarpal-ligaments/) (radioscaphocapitate, long and short radiolunate), then [pronator quadratus](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/pronator-quadratus/) and the flexor tendons

**Behind**
[Dorsal radiocarpal ligament](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/dorsal-radiocarpal-ligament/) and the [extensor tendons](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/extensor-digitorum-tendons/); Lister's tubercle acts as a pulley for the [EPL tendon](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/extensor-pollicis-longus-tendon/)

**Lateral**
Radial styloid with the [brachioradialis tendon](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/brachioradialis-tendon/) insertion and the first extensor compartment ([APL and EPB tendons](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/abductor-pollicis-longus-and-extensor-pollicis-brevis-tendons/))

## How to find it

Lister's tubercle is the bony bump on the back of the distal radius; the radiocarpal joint line lies about a fingertip's width beyond it. The 3–4 arthroscopy portal, between the EPL tendon and the finger extensors, enters the joint just there.

## On imaging

PA and lateral X-rays measure inclination, height and tilt; CT shows step-offs, gaps and depression of the lunate fossa in intra-articular fractures; wrist arthroscopy inspects the cartilage directly.

## Clinical notes

- Die-punch fracture: the lunate is driven into the lunate fossa, depressing that facet
- Barton fracture: a palmar or dorsal rim fracture with the carpus subluxing together with the fragment; chauffeur's fracture: an intra-articular fracture of the radial styloid
- A step left in the joint surface after a distal radius fracture predisposes to radiocarpal osteoarthritis, especially in younger, active people

## Development

The distal end ossifies from a secondary centre that appears in early childhood and unites with the shaft in the late teens; this physis is the one most often injured in children, typically as a Salter–Harris type II fracture.

## Related conditions

- [Distal radius fracture (Colles)](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/distal-radius-fracture/)

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which facets form the articular surface of the distal radius?

The scaphoid fossa and the lunate fossa, separated by a low ridge, plus the sigmoid notch for the ulnar head.

## In SLAC wrist, where does arthritis start and which joint is spared?

Between the radial styloid and the scaphoid; the radiolunate joint is typically spared.

## What is a die-punch fracture of the distal radius?

The lunate is driven into the lunate fossa, depressing that facet.

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

## Its names

**Official Latin (TA2)**
cartilago articularis facies articularis carpalis radii TA2 382

**Official Spanish (DeCS)**
Cartílago articular de la cara articular carpiana del radio

**English (TA2)**
Articular cartilage of the distal radius

## Related

- [Scapholunate ligament](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/scapholunate-interosseous-ligament/)
- [Radius](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/radius/)
- [Scaphoid](https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/scaphoid/)

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); [Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Hand Radiocarpal Joint](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK539744/); [Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Wrist Joint](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534779/).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/articular-cartilage-of-the-distal-radius/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/anatomy/articular-cartilage-of-the-distal-radius/