The Prevalence of Supracondyloid Process in the Living: a Radiographic Study

Abstract

Objective: The spur or the supracondyloid process of the humerus has been of special interest to anatomists, anthropologists and clinicians. Apart from the anthropological research by ancient authors and clinical studies carried out half a century ago, no study of this variation appear in the literature. The aim of the present work is to investigate this variation in the living subjects. Methods: The present information was performed on direct radiograms of the elbow obtained from the volunteer individuals. This study was carried out over a 3-year period from 2005-2008. Results: The spur was found in 9 cases among the 903 persons examined. Bilateral occurrence of the process was higher than that reported in the literature. The cases with the spur reported mild pain in the forearm over a long period. Conclusion: This study showed a higher occurrence of bilateral supracondyloid process than previously reported. It is also suggested that the cases reported as asymptomatic may not be fully free of the complaint of pain which might assist the clinician in their diagnosis.