Lesions and tumors of the carpus

Lesions and tumors of the carpus are usually identified radiographically during a routine workup for wrist pain. Although most of these entities are benign, a failure to appreciate their presence may delay diagnosis and treatment. More importantly, a small subset of these tumors may be quite aggressive, and early recognition can spare the patient the morbidity of late sequelae such as pathologic fracture, progressive wrist arthrosis, or even tumor metastasis. This article provides current information on how to identify, differentiate, and treat the varied lesions and tumors that may be discovered in the carpus.