MR imaging of common entrapment neuropathies at the wrist

MR imaging is a useful technique in the work-up of compressive neuropathies at the wrist, providing fine anatomical detail and excellent diagnostic accuracy. MR imaging, however, should be reserved for those cases in which the clinical and electrodiagnostic findings are inconclusive, the symptoms are unusually severe, or when a tumor is suspected. This article reviews the normal anatomy and the MR imaging features of the most common compressive neuropathies at the wrist: carpal and ulnar tunnel syndromes.