Abstract
Purpose
The dorsal component of the scapholunate ligament, is the strongest component, in fact it has a maximum tensile strength of 300 N and mainly controls flexion and extension. In a recent study, the thickness and length of the dorsal component of SLIL was measured using ultrasound image, the length of the dorsal scapholunate ligament was 7.5 mm ± 1.4 mm and the thickness of 1.8 mm ± 0.4 mm. We evaluate 60 wrists of 30 young athletic volunteers with ultra-sound image, comparing the thickness variations of the dorsal component of SLIL between the dominant and non-dominant wrist, to confirm our hypothesis that the dorsal component SLIL has proprioceptive activity and therefore the thickness of the ligament increases in following wrist activity.
Methods
With a high-frequency ultrasound probe > 15 MHz (Sonoscape X3 Pro) we evaluated 60 wrists of 30 young men (16 males and 14 females, 20–38 years old) manual sports volunteers (10 tennis players, 8 padel players, 7 swimmers, 5 weight lifters) with no recent ligament injuries of the hand or wrist to participate in the study, we compared the dorsal component of SLIL between the dominant and non-dominant wrist.
Results
Dorsal SLIL was visualized in all 60 volunteers wrists. We measured an average scapholunate dorsal ligament length 7.7 mm and average thickness of 2.3 mm in the dominant wrist and average 7.2 mm in length and average 1.9 mm thickness in the non dominant wrist. The mean dorsal scapholunate interval was average 4.9 mm and the mean central interval was average 2.1 mm in the dominant wrist and 4.7 mm and 1.8 mm in the non dominant wrist, so that meas-urements remained unchanged with those reported by previous authors.
Conclusions
In our study we ultrasonographically measured an average scapholunate dorsal ligament length 7.7 mm and average thickness of 2.3 mm in the dominant wrist and average 7.2 mm in length and average 1.9 mm thickness in the non dominant wrist. This confirms our hypothesis that there is a direct stimulus on the ligamentous component of the dor-sal SLIL in the dominant wrist following repeated uses and activities such as to cause an increase in thickness of the dorsal ligament to highlight the possibility of a proprioceptivity of the ligament if subjected to continuous training.
Level of evidence
IV.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berger RA (1996) The gross and histologic anatomy of the scapholunate interosseous ligament. J Hand Surg 21(2):170–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0363-5023(96)80096-7
Manske MC, Huang JI (2018) The quantitative anatomy of the dorsal scapholunate interosseous ligament. Hand. https://doi.org/10.1177/1558944718798846
Pappou IP, Basel J, Deal DN (2013) Scapholunate ligament injuries: a review of current concepts. HAND 8(2):146–156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11552-013-9499-4
Dao KD, Dolomon DJ, Shin AY et al (2004) The efficacy of ultrasound in the evaluation of dynamic scapholunate ligamentous instability. J Bone Joint Surg Am 86(7):1473–1478
Short WH, Werner FW, Green JK, Masaoka S (2002) Biomechanical evaluation of ligamentous stabilizers of the scaphoid and lunate. J Hand Surg 27(6):991–1002. https://doi.org/10.1053/jhsu.2002.35878
Waters MS, Werner FW, Haddad SF et al (2016) Biomechanical evaluation of scaphoid and lunate kinematics following selective sectioning of portions of the scapholunate interosseous ligament. J Hand Surg Am 41(2):208–213
Rodriguez RM, Ernat JJ (2019) Ultrasonography for dorsal-sided wrist pain in a combat environment: technique, pearls, and a case report of dynamic evaluation of the scapholunate ligament. Mil Med. https://doi.org/10.1093/milmed/usz157
Lee JC, Healy JC (2005) Normal sonographic anatomy of the wrist and hand. Radiographics 25(6):1577–1590. https://doi.org/10.1148/rg.256055028
Olchowy C, Łasecki M, Zaleska-Dorobisz U (2015) Wrist ultrasound examination – scanning technique and ultrasound anatomy. Part 1: dorsal wrist. J Ultrasonogr 61:172–188. https://doi.org/10.15557/jou.2015.0015
Gitto S, Draghi F (2016) Normal sonographic anatomy of the wrist with emphasis on assessment of tendons, nerves, and ligaments. J Ultrasound Med 35(5):1081–1094. https://doi.org/10.7863/ultra.15.06105
Della Rosa N, Sapino G, Vita F, di Summa PG, Adani R (2020) Modified Viegas dorsal capsuloplasty for chronic partial injury of the scapholunate ligament in young athletes: outcomes at 24 months. J Hand Surg (Eur Vol). https://doi.org/10.1177/1753193420939490
Kendi ATK, Güdemez E (2006) Sonographic evaluation of scapholunate ligament: value of tissue harmonic imaging. J Clin Ultrasound 34(3):109–112. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcu.20208
Boutry N, Lapegue F, Masi L, Claret A, Demondion X, Cotten A (2005) Ultrasonographic evaluation of normal extrinsic and intrinsic carpal ligaments: preliminary experience. Skeletal Radiol 34(9):513–521. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00256-005-0929-4
Smith DK (1993) Dorsal carpal ligaments of the wrist: normal appearance on multiplanar reconstructions of three-dimensional Fourier transform MR imaging. Am J Roentgenol 161(1):119–125. https://doi.org/10.2214/ajr.161.1.8517289
Mayfield JK, Johnson RP, Kilcoyne RF (1976) The ligaments of the human wrist and their functional significance. Anat Rec 186(3):417–428. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.1091860307
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Giulia Zoggia for the english correction of the article.
Funding
The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
VF, DRN and GS researched literature and conceived the study. VF, DD and FP wrote the first draft of the manuscript. TG corrected the English language of the article. AR, FC and DRN reviewed, edited and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Ethical approval
All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
Informed consent
Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study for their anonimyzed.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fabio, V., Danilo, D., Cesare, F. et al. Dorsal scapholunate interosseous ligament: ultrasound evaluation between dominant and non-dominant wrist in young sports patients. J Ultrasound 25, 579–584 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-021-00626-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40477-021-00626-3