Capitate (left) (Os capitatum)
Educational content only — not medical advice.
Anatomy
The largest carpal and the central axis of the wrist: its rounded head nests in the lunate concavity, flanked by scaphoid, triquetral and the third and fourth metacarpals, distributing loads from forearm to fingers. This is the left member of the pair.
Clinical notes
Fracture of its neck in high-energy trauma can devascularise the head like the scaphoid; close follow-up is required for necrosis risk that can collapse the wrist joint.
Related structures
Educational references
FAQ
What is the role of the Capitate (left)?
The largest carpal and the central axis of the wrist: its rounded head nests in the lunate concavity, flanked by scaphoid, triquetral and the third and fourth metacarpals, distributing loads from forearm to fingers. This is the left member of the pair.
Why is the Capitate (left) clinically important?
Fracture of its neck in high-energy trauma can devascularise the head like the scaphoid; close follow-up is required for necrosis risk that can collapse the wrist joint.
Source & license
Derived from Z-Anatomy (Gauthier Kervyn et al.), CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/); upstream geometry from BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science. license details