[Anatomy of the wrist joint and carpus]

A systematic anatomical representation of the carpal area is not an adequate means to show its way of function. This paper describes the functional correlations between the distal radio-ulnar joint and the wrist joint. The proximal wrist joint is composed of two mechanically equivalent compartments. Within the ulnocarpal joint, the disk fulfills a most important function as a surface adapting and pressure transmitting element. Its perforation is a pre-arthrotic deformity. The column conception of the carpus is supported by cinematic studies as well as by analyses of the subchondral bone density and the spongy structure of the ossa carpi. This conception presumes a radial scaphoid column, a central lunate column, and an ulnar triquetrum column.