Upper Limb Hands Radiography and Pathology

Flashcards covering positioning criteria, radiographic errors, and common hand pathologies such as Bennett and Boxer's fractures.

DP Hand Center Point

Head of the 3rd metacarpal.

DP Hand Field of View (FOV)

Includes the entire hand including skin margins, distal phalanges, metacarpals, carpal bones, and $1"$ of the distal radius and ulna.

DP Hand Angulation Criteria

Interphalangeal Joints (IP) and metacarpophalangeal joints (MCP) are all open and the shafts of the bones are not foreshortened.

DP Hand Rotation Assessment

Equal concavity on either side of each phalanx and no overlap of the metacarpals or phalanges.

Oblique Hand Positioning

Patient's hand is rolled $30^{\circ}$ externally, raising their thumb off the detector.

Oblique Hand Rotation Criteria

Metacarpals and phalanges show concavity on the palmar aspect; heads of 3rd-5th metacarpals have slight superimposition, but shafts of 3-5 are not superimposed.

Lateral Hand Center Point

Head of the 2nd metacarpal, often displaced medially to include the full thumb.

Lateral Hand Angulation Criteria

MCP and Phalangeal joints spaces are open, shafts are not foreshortened, and the lunate carpal bone appears crescent shaped.

Lateral Hand Rotation Criteria

Superimposition of the metacarpal shafts, no double borders of the phalanx heads, and the thumb appears DP with equal concavities.

Fan Lateral

An alternate lateral view taken with fingers splayed, used to assess individual fingers or Osteoarthritis (OA).

Subchondral sclerosis

Thickened bone around the joints observed in Osteoarthritis.

Osteophytosis

The formation of bone spurs and lipping around the joint, common in Osteoarthritis.

Bennett Fracture

A two-piece intra-articular fracture at the base of the thumb caused by forced abduction of the first metacarpal.

Boxer’s Fracture

A fracture at the neck of the 5th metacarpal, usually transverse or spiralled, caused by impaction from a closed fist.

ABCS (Trauma Assessment)

A mnemonic for assessing injury: Alignment, Bones, Clinical Indications, and Soft Tissue.

Polydactyly

A condition involving extra digits; one case notes ulna duplication (2 ulnas and no radius).