Which carpal bone has a distinct hook-like projection known as the hook of hamate?

Which carpal bone has a distinct hook-like projection known as the hook of hamate?

• A. Hamate
• B. Capitate
• C. Trapezium
• D. Scaphoid

Answer: (A)

The hook-like projection is a distinctive feature of the hamate bone. This projection, called the hamulus or the hook of hamate, sticks out from the palmar side of the bone and helps form part of the tunnel (Guyon’s canal) that the ulnar nerve and artery pass through. Among the carpal bones listed, only the hamate has this hook shape; the capitate has a rounded head, the trapezium has a saddle-shaped surface for the thumb, and the scaphoid has a prominent tubercle but not a hook. So the bone with the hook of hamate is the hamate.

The hook-like projection is a distinctive feature of the hamate bone. This projection, called the hamulus or the hook of hamate, sticks out from the palmar side of the bone and helps form part of the tunnel (Guyon’s canal) that the ulnar nerve and artery pass through. Among the carpal bones listed, only the hamate has this hook shape; the capitate has a rounded head, the trapezium has a saddle-shaped surface for the thumb, and the scaphoid has a prominent tubercle but not a hook. So the bone with the hook of hamate is the hamate.