Retinacular ligaments
Ligamenti retinaculares
- Synonym: Retinacular system of extensor mechanism of hand
Definition
The retinacular ligaments (retinacular system of extensor mechanism of the hand) of the fingers are the sagittal bands at the MCP joint, the transverse and oblique fibers over the proximal phalanx, which are fibrous expansions of the interosseous and lumbrical muscles
The transverse retinacular ligament (TRL), the oblique retinacular ligament (ORL), and the triangular ligament over the middle phalanx.
The retinacular ligaments provide important stability to the extensor mechanism.
The retinacular ligaments are not well visualized on MRI.
References
Petchprapa CN, Vaswani D. MRI of the Fingers: An Update. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2019 Sep;213(3):534-548. doi: 10.2214/AJR.19.21217. Epub 2019 Jul 3. PMID: 31268729.
Gupta P, Lenchik L, Wuertzer SD, Pacholke DA. High-resolution 3-T MRI of the fingers: review of anatomy and common tendon and ligament injuries. AJR Am J Roentgenol. 2015 Mar;204(3):W314-23. doi: 10.2214/AJR.14.12776. PMID: 25714317.
Clavero JA, Alomar X, Monill JM, Esplugas M, Golanó P, Mendoza M, Salvador A. MR imaging of ligament and tendon injuries of the fingers. Radiographics. 2002 Mar-Apr;22(2):237-56. doi: 10.1148/radiographics.22.2.g02mr11237. PMID: 11896215.