Anatomic Study Of The Coracoid Process: Safety Margin For Osteotomy For Shoulder Surgery

ABSTRACT

Background: Surgical procedures as coracoid osteotomy, transfer, and fixation are used for management ofrecurrent anterior shoulder instability. However, the peculiar anatomy of bony and soft tissue footprints of thecoracoid, as they relate to these surgical procedures, need further detailed studies owing to its clinical importance.Aim of the work to obtain safety margin for osteotomy of the coracoid process.Materials and methods: The material of this work included twenty upper limbs of formalin preserved specimensobtained from the dissecting room of anatomy department, faculty of medicine, Alexandria University. Dimensionsof the coracoid process were recorded. Anatomical measurements between the tip of the coracoid process to theanterior and posterior margins of the tendon of pectoralis minor were recorded. Distances between the tip of thecoracoid process and the anterior and posterior margins of coracoacromial ligament, coracohumeral ligament,and the most distal point of conoid and trapezoid ligaments were recorded.Results: The mean length, width, and height of the coracoid were 4.25, 1.4, 1.16 cm respectively. The meandistance between the tip of the coracoid process to the anterior and posterior margins of pectoralis minor were1.07 and 2.04 cm respectively. The mean distance between tip of coracoid process and coracoacromial ligament(anterior and posterior margins), coracohumeral, conoid and trapezoid ligaments were 1.32, 2.19, 1.11, 3.70and 2.73 cm respectively.Conclusion: A safety margin of 2.35 cm from the tip of the coracoid process is recommended to avoid injury ofcoracoclavicular ligament. This distance was correlated with the distance between the tip and the posteriormargin of pectoralis minor muscle.