Extended and weightbearing wrist 3-T MRI using a novel harness and flexible 24-channel glove coil to evaluate carpal kinematics: a pilot study in 10 volunteers.

Background: Wrist pain in the extended or extended weightbearing positions may be incompletely evaluated using standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with standard rigid clamshell coils in the neutral position.

Purpose: To evaluate a flexible 24-channel glove coil and harness when imaging the wrist in neutral, dorsally extended, and weightbearing positions.

Material And Methods: Ten wrists in 10 asymptomatic volunteers (mean age = 29 years) were scanned. Participants underwent 3-T MRI using the harness and flexible glove coil, acquiring sagittal turbo spin echo (TSE) and half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin echo (HASTE) pulse sequences. Static TSE images were obtained in neutral, extended, and weightbearing positions using proton density parameters and independently evaluated by two radiologists for: dorsal radiocarpal ligament thickness; radiocapitate, radiolunate, and capitatolunate angles; palmar translation of the lunate on the radius; angulation of the extensor tendons; and distance from the distal extensor retinaculum to Lister's tubercle. Cine HASTE images were dynamically acquired between neutral-maximum extension to measure the radiocapitate angle.

Results: Good reader agreement was observed (r > 0.73) for all measurements except palmar translation in the neutral position (r = 0.27). Significant increases in dorsal radiocarpal ligament thickness; radiocapitate, radiolunate and capitolunate angulation; and extensor tendon angulation were observed between the neutral and extended positions ( < 0.001). A further significant increase in these metrics between extended and weightbearing positions was also seen ( < 0.01).

Conclusion: Significant increases in dorsal radiocarpal ligament thickness, articular and tendon angulations occur during wrist extension, that further increase with dorsal weightbearing.