Dorsoepitrochlearis muscle: an unknown cause of shoulder motion limitation and axilla deformity

Abstract The dorsoepitrochlearis (DE) or latissimocondyloideus is a longitudinal supernumerary muscle of the posterior wall of the axillary fossa which arises from the latissimus dorsi muscle and may insert to the brachial and forearm fascia, to the humerus, to the lateral epicondyle and olecranon, or to the long head of the triceps brachii muscle (Fig. 1) [1]. Although this muscle is thought to be present in 5–20% of human bodies [1, 2], this seems unlikely, because fewer than 30 cases have been published over the past 200 years [3]. Moreover, no clinical significance has been identified for this muscle according to Rockwood et al. [2] and we did not find any clinical or radiological presentation of this muscle in the literature.