Radiology of hand and wrist injuries

Abstract

Musculoskeletal trauma is common and the distal upper extremity is one of the most frequent sites of injury. Imaging of hand and wrist injuries should always begin with conventional radiographs. While computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are very helpful in some cases, their overall impact on trauma imaging in the hand and wrist is small. Radiographs remain the primary diagnostic modality. It is therefore essential for radiologists who work in a trauma and emergency setting to be familiar not only with the normal radiographic anatomy of the hand and wrist but also with the range of injuries that can occur. Our learned colleague, Lee F. Rogers, put it all quite simply in a few statements that can be called "Rogers' Rules": Rule #1, make the diagnosis; Rule #2, avoid embarrassment; Rule #3, stay out of court. In order to meet these objectives, we must get adequate radiographs and we must interpret them correctly. Thus, not only should we know where to look when there is nothing obvious at first glance but we must also know where else to look when there are obvious findings. © 2005 Springer-Verlag Italia.