Joints and ligaments · Upper limb
Ulnocarpal ligaments !
The ulnocarpal ligaments run from the triangular fibrocartilage to the wrist bones; they support the little-finger side of the wrist.
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What it is
Bands from the TFCC and ulna to the lunate and triquetrum.
What it does
Support the little-finger side of the wrist together with the TFCC.
Key facts
- Attaches
- TFCC/ulna to lunate, triquetrum and capitate
- Function
- Support the ulnar side of the carpus
- Tight in
- Extension and radial deviation
Relations
- Above
- TFCC (palmar radioulnar ligament) and the ulnar head
- Below
- Lunate, triquetrum and, for the ulnocapitate ligament, the capitate
- In front
- Ulnar side of the carpal tunnel floor with the FDP tendons; more superficially the ulnar nerve, ulnar artery and flexor carpi ulnaris
- Lateral
- Short radiolunate ligament, which they meet at the lunate
How to find it
Not felt as separate bands. They lie on the palmar-ulnar side of the wrist, deep to flexor carpi ulnaris, running from the TFCC and ulnar fovea to the lunate, triquetrum and capitate; tenderness in the soft spot between the ulnar styloid and the FCU tendon is the clinical window. At arthroscopy they form the palmar-ulnar capsule just distal to the TFCC.
Examination
- Fovea sign: tenderness in the soft spot between the ulnar styloid and flexor carpi ulnaris; with a stable DRUJ it points to the ulnotriquetral ligament, with an unstable one to a foveal TFCC detachment
- Ulnocarpal stress test: axial load in ulnar deviation while the forearm is rotated; pain suggests ulnocarpal ligament or TFCC injury, or ulnar impaction
On imaging
MRI or MR arthrography in coronal and sagittal planes shows them as thin bands palmar to the TFCC; arthroscopy shows them from the radiocarpal joint.
Clinical notes
- Ulnar-sided wrist pain after a twisting injury; examined together with the TFCC and ulnar impaction
- With the radioscaphocapitate ligament, the ulnocapitate ligament forms the distal V of the palmar wrist (arcuate ligament)
- Ulnar shortening osteotomy for ulnar impaction pulls the ulnar head proximally, unloading the ulnar carpus and tensioning these ligaments, which also steadies the DRUJ
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Where do the ulnolunate and ulnotriquetral ligaments arise?
From the palmar radioulnar ligament of the TFCC rather than the ulna itself; the ulnocapitate arises from the ulnar fovea.
What does a positive fovea sign with a stable DRUJ suggest?
A split tear of the ulnotriquetral ligament, one of the ulnocarpal ligaments.
Which Palmer class is a TFCC tear at its distal, ulnocarpal ligament attachment?
Class 1C.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- ligamentum ulnocarpeum palmare TA2 1795
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Ligamentos ulnocarpianos palmar y dorsal
- English (TA2)
- Ulnocarpal ligaments
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Hand Radiocarpal Joint; Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Wrist Joint.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
