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Axial Anatomy: Extensor Tendons

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The wrist, short axis, focus on tendons,

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mostly proximal, although the anatomy is

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consistent as you move from proximal to distal.

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A few important bony landmarks, the groove of

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the extensor carpi ulnaris and Lister's tubercle.

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Let's play.

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The first group to come in, extensor group

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number one, known as the abductor brevis.

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Notice longus brevis.

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There'll be a theme.

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Longus brevis, longus brevis,

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longus, makes it easy to memorize.

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These two are responsible for pain at the base of

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the thumb in adults, which every adult has.

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Everybody's got arthritis at the base of the thumb.

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Everybody has some degree of

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inflammation of this thumb.

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First compartment, which is known as De Quervain's

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disease, or stenosing fibrotic tenosynovitis.

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These tendons are unique because they have

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innumerable slips drawn in by these little dots.

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And when these tendons are inflamed, for they rarely,

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uncommonly, rupture, then the slips may be highlighted.

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And may incorrectly be diagnosed

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as multiple longitudinal tears.

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This is a terrible mistake.

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Then we get into our next group.

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Again, longus and brevis.

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Extensor carpi radialis longus and brevis.

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And these are uncommonly injured, but not

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uncommonly involved in some peritendinitis.

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Extensor, compartment number two.

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Then compartment number three.

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Just medial to Lister's tubercle.

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This one has a very oblique course.

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Making tracking it a little bit challenging.

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Find Lister's tubercle, find the EPL, and

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then go distal and proximal from this point.

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The extensor pollicis longus, its muscle

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and tendon may be implemented, or implicated

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actually, in conditions where the extensor

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retinaculum is thickened, inflamed, or scarred,

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and presses it against other structures,

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known as the crossover syndrome.

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Then we get into the group known as the extensor

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digitorum communis and indices to the index finger.

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Sometimes you'll get tears in this

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region, and it's difficult to sort out

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which or all of the tendons are involved.

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Extensor compartment number four.

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Then the little teeny weeny itty bitty compartment,

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the extensor digiti minimi, compartment number five.

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And finally, in young people, the most important

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compartment, the extensor carpi ulnaris, which

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sits in the ulnar groove some of the time,

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but in extremes of supination and pronation,

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even in the normal individual, it may perch

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on top of the protrusion of the ulnar bone,

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and therefore look like it's subluxing or dislocating.

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The tip-off that this is simply a positional

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phenomenon due to extremes of rotation

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is the fact that nothing is swollen.

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There's no high signal intensity present.

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So anytime it looks malpositioned, without

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the accouterments of inflammatory reaction,

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it's probably a normal positional variation.

Report

Faculty

Stephen J Pomeranz, MD

Chief Medical Officer, ProScan Imaging. Founder, MRI Online

ProScan Imaging

Tags

Musculoskeletal (MSK)

MRI

Idiopathic

Hand & Wrist

Congenital

Acquired/Developmental

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