The relationship between main elbow flexion skin crease and osseous anatomy of the elbow joint

Studies that investigate the relationships between the main elbow flexion crease and the underlying osseous anatomy are lacking. The relationship between the flexion skin crease and osseous anatomy of the elbow joint was studied. Markers were placed along the main flexion skin crease of both elbows in 50 healthy volunteers. Measurements were expressed in millimeters of perpendicular distance from each skin crease to the osseous structures of the elbow joint including medial and lateral epicondyles, tip of the olecranon, and radial head. The mean perpendicular distances between the elbow crease from osseous structures were found to be as follows: from medial epicondyle, 6.93 mm; from lateral epicondyle, −0.25 mm; from olecranon, 9.97 mm; and from radial head, −21.97 mm. There was no statistical significant difference between the dominant versus non-dominant hand. The association between the main flexion elbow crease and the bony structures observed in this study seems to support that the elbow crease can be a useful surface anatomy landmark and expected to aid in the placement of surgical incisions.