An anatomic study of the axis of elbow movement in the coronal plane: Relevance to component alignment in elbow arthroplasty.

Abstract

We have performed an anatomic study on cadaveric material identifying a relationship between the posterior cortex of the distal humerus and the axis of movement of the elbow joint with reference to the coronal plane. This study was performed on 11 cadaveric upper limbs in which the axis of movement relative to the coronal plane was identified and confirmed with an external fixator. The relation between this plane and the tangential plane of the posterior cortex of the distal humerus was investigated. Observations made at points progressively proximal to the humeral epicondyles demonstrated that the tangential plane of the posterior humeral cortex became increasingly inclined medially until it became parallel to the coronal axis of movement of the elbow joint at a point 25 to 35 mm proximal to the medial epicondyle of the humerus. The relevance of this observation to the orientation of the humeral component of a total elbow joint replacement arthroplasty is discussed.