The Lateral Elbow Ligaments

Knowledge of the lateral elbow ligaments' normal anatomic relationships to osseous structures, as seen on standard radiographs, can facilitate the interpretation of arthrograms and an understanding of fracture mechanisms. We dissected fresh cadaveric elbows to isolate the entire lateral ulnar collateral and annular ligaments as well as their sites of osseous origin and insertion. We obtained radiographs of each ligament after painting them with a special radiopaque tantalum powder cyanoacrylic preparation. The resulting study allowed radiographic depiction of these important soft tissue structures in relation to the attendant osseous anatomy.