Overview
Gross Anatomy
The cubital fossa is
triangular in shape, and thus has three borders:
• Superior border– An imaginary line
between the epicondyles of the humerus.
• Lateral border – The medial border of the brachioradialis muscle
• Medial border– The lateral border
of the pronator teres muscle
The floor is formed
proximally by brachialis and distally by supinator, the roof is skin and fascia
along with the bicipital aponeurosis
Clinical Anatomy
Supracondylar
fracture is a common fracture, occurring just above the
humeral condyles.The causes a posterior displacement of the distal part in
relation to the humerus, potentially damaging the contents of the fossa
directly or through stretching of the structures. This may cause brachial
artery occlusion or median or radial nerve injury. It is therefore vital that
distal neurovascular status is assessed and documented when seeing these
injuries.
Venepuncture
is commonly performed at the cubital fossa. Whilst not strictly
part of the contents, the median cubital vein traverses the roof to connect the
cephalic and basillic veins and is reliably located just lateral to the biceps
tendon. It is important to ensure the vessel is not pulsatile before puncture
as the brachial artery is close by.
Brachial
pulse and artery are palpable medial to the biceps tendon. It is
here that the vessel is auscultated for Korotov sounds when measuring blood
pressure, assessed with Doppler ultrasound for ABPI measurement and may even be
used for arterial puncture.
Quick Anatomy
Key Facts
Aide-Memoire
Contents lateral to medial are TAN: Tendon, Arterty, Nerve
To remember the contents of the cubital fossa, you can use
the mnemonic Really Need Beer To Be At My Nicest.