A Muscle-Splitting Approach to the Ulnar Collateral Ligament of the Elbow Neuroanatomy and Operative Technique

The standard surgical approach for repair or recon struction of the ulnar collateral ligament of the elbow involves lifting off of the tendon of the common flexor bundle at its origin on the medial epicondyle. However, a more limited muscle-splitting approach may be fea sible. A muscle-splitting approach is less traumatic to the flexor-pronator muscle mass, and it could decrease operative time and lessen immediate morbidity after surgery. A proposed muscle-split through the common flexor bundle extends from the medial humeral epicon dyle to a point distal to the tubercle of the ulna such that repair or reconstruction can be performed on the ulnar collateral ligament. To examine the feasibility of this approach, we performed a study combining ana tomic dissections with clinical observations. We dis sected 15 fresh-frozen adult cadaveric elbows to ex amine the neuroanatomy of the medial side of the elbow. All pertinent nerves were identified and mapped. From these data, we defined a "safe zone" for a muscle...