Struthers' ligament

Original Editor - Ariel Schillaci.

Top Contributors - Ariel Schillaci, Kim Jackson, Evan Thomas and WikiSysop

Description

A Ligament of Struthers has been identified and studied in a cadaveric arm. Its relationships to a rudimentary supracondylar process, the pronator teres muscle, the median nerve, and the medial epicondyle of the humerus are described. Compared to an extensively studied series of normals, the ligament in this case was associated with abnormally proximal branching of the median nerve, a finding which is surgically significant and not addressed in the literature to date.

Attachments

The ligament of Struthers most often arises from a supracondylar process, a bony projection at the anteromedial aspect of the distal humerus approximately 5 cm proximal to the medial epicondyle. 

Function

The supracondylar process is an anatomic variant. It is a homologue of a similar bony projection seen in many amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. The ligament of Struthers is thought to be a vestige of the tendon of the latissimo-condyloideus muscle, found in some climbing animals

Pathology

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

Cubital Tunnel Syndrome II

References

1. Struthers' ligament and associated median nerve variations in a cadaveric specimen. S. F. Gunther, D. DiPasquale, and R. Martin. Yale J Biol Med. 1993 May-Jun; 66(3): 203–208.

Recent Related Research (from Pubmed)

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