Medial collateral ligament complex of the elbow
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The medial (ulnar) collateral ligament (MCL/UCL) complex is a major stabiliser of the elbow joint and resists valgus stress.
Gross anatomy
The MCL complex runs from the humerus to the ulna and is composed of three parts 1,3,4,7:
-
anterior bundle
- inferior medial epicondyle to the sublime tubercle of the medial coronoid process
- cord-like
-
posterior bundle
- medial epicondyle to the medial olecranon
- thickening of the joint capsule
-
transverse (or oblique)
bundle(Cooperbundle (Cooper's ligament)- runs between the inferior fibres of the anterior and posterior bundles (i.e. medial olecranon to medial coronoid process)
- almost no role in elbow stabilisation
Variant anatomy
- accessory ligament (a.k.a. extra band): posterior joint capsule to the transverse ligament (25%) 1
Radiographic features
MRI
- the anterior band is the only part of the MCL complex which is delineated as a separate structure and is best seen on coronal images
-<p>The <strong>medial (ulnar) collateral ligament </strong>(<strong>MCL/UCL</strong>)<strong> complex</strong> is a major stabiliser of the <a href="/articles/elbow">elbow joint</a> and resists valgus stress.</p><h4>Gross anatomy</h4><p>The MCL complex runs from the humerus to the ulna and is composed of three parts <sup>1,3,4,7</sup>:</p><ul>-<li>-<strong>anterior bundle</strong><ul>- +<p>The <strong>medial (ulnar) collateral ligament </strong>(<strong>MCL/UCL</strong>)<strong> complex</strong> is a major stabiliser of the <a href="/articles/elbow">elbow joint</a> and resists valgus stress.</p><h4>Gross anatomy</h4><p>The MCL complex runs from the humerus to the ulna and is composed of three parts <sup>1,3,4,7</sup>:</p><ol>
- +<li>anterior bundle<ul>
-<li>-<strong>posterior bundle</strong><ul>-<li>medial epicondyle to medial olecranon</li>- +<li>posterior bundle<ul>
- +<li>medial epicondyle to the medial olecranon</li>
-<li>-<strong>transverse </strong>(or <strong>oblique</strong>)<strong> </strong><strong>bundle </strong>(<strong>Cooper's ligament</strong>) <ul>- +<li>transverse (or oblique) bundle (Cooper's ligament) <ul>
-</ul><h4>Variant anatomy</h4><ul><li>-<strong>accessory ligament</strong> (a.k.a. extra band): posterior joint capsule to transverse ligament (25%) <sup>1</sup>- +</ol><h4>Variant anatomy</h4><ul><li>accessory ligament (a.k.a. extra band): posterior joint capsule to the transverse ligament (25%) <sup>1</sup>
Images Changes:
Image 1 Diagram ( create )
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