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Tubercle of scaphoid

The tubercle of the scaphoid bone is a prominent bony projection arising from the palmar (volar) aspect of the scaphoid. It serves as an important anatomical landmark in the wrist and contributes to the formation of the lateral boundary of the carpal tunnel and the radial side of the wrist crease.

It is clinically and radiologically significant in wrist trauma assessment, carpal tunnel evaluation, and surgical approaches to the radial side of the wrist.

Synonyms

  • Scaphoid tubercle

  • Volar tubercle of the scaphoid

Location

  • Situated on the palmar (volar) surface of the scaphoid bone

  • Located at the radial side of the proximal carpal row

  • Lateral to the lunate bone

  • Proximal to the trapezium

  • Forms part of the radial border of the carpal tunnel

  • Palpable at the base of the thenar eminence

Anatomical components

  • Osseous projection of the scaphoid

  • Cortical shell with cancellous core

  • Attachment site for ligaments:

    • Flexor retinaculum (radial attachment)

    • Scaphotrapezial and scaphocapitate ligaments

  • Contributes to:

    • Carpal tunnel boundary

    • Radial wrist contour

Relations

Anteriorly (volarly):

  • Flexor retinaculum

  • Thenar muscles (superficial)

Posteriorly:

  • Scaphoid body

Medially:

  • Lunate bone

  • Capitate bone (indirect relationship)

Laterally:

  • Trapezium and trapezoid bones

Inferiorly:

  • Scaphotrapezial joint

Superiorly:

  • Distal radius (via scaphoid body)

X-ray appearance

Plain radiographs (PA, oblique, and scaphoid views):

  • Tubercle: Seen as a small bony prominence on the volar radial aspect of the scaphoid

  • Best visualized on: Oblique and scaphoid-specific views

  • Cortical outline: Smooth and continuous

  • Relationship: Clearly connected to the scaphoid body

CT appearance

Non-contrast CT:

  • Tubercle: Well-defined bony projection from the volar scaphoid

  • Cortical margins: Sharp and intact

  • Trabecular pattern: Normal cancellous bone texture

  • Spatial assessment: Excellent for evaluating shape, size, and subtle cortical irregularities

  • Relationship to carpal tunnel: Clearly demonstrated

MRI appearance

T1-weighted images:

  • Cortical bone: Low signal intensity

  • Marrow within tubercle: High signal intensity

  • Tubercle contour: Clearly delineated against surrounding soft tissues

T2-weighted images:

  • Cortex: Low signal

  • Adjacent joint fluid: High signal outlining the tubercle

  • Surrounding ligaments: Low-to-intermediate signal

STIR:

  • Fat suppression: Uniform suppression of marrow fat

  • Tubercle margins: Well visualized

  • Joint and soft tissues: Bright signal

Proton density fat-saturated (PD FS):

  • Bone marrow: Suppressed fat signal

  • Joint fluid: High signal

  • Ligamentous attachments: Seen as low-signal bands near the tubercle

MRI image

Tubercle of scaphoid bone mri anatomy labelled image-img-00000-00000

MRI image

Tubercle of scaphoid bone mri anatomy labelled image-img-00000-00000_00001

MRI image

Tubercle of scaphoid bone mri anatomy labelled image-img-00000-00000_00002