Comparative morphometry of the antebrachial and crural interosseous membranes

Traumatic tears of the antebrachial interosseous membrane (AIOM) on its whole length are difficult to treat, particularly in the Essex-Lopresti syndrome. The number of ligamentoplasty techniques described in the literature witnesses the difficulty of its reconstruction and the absence of reliable and satisfying procedure. The aim of this study was to explore a new way of treatment, which consists in replacing the AIOM by the crural interosseous membrane (CIOM), harvested from the same patient. Materials and methods A morphometric study of the AIOM and CIOM has been conducted on both sides of 15 formalin preserved corpses (i.e. 30 AIOM and 30 CIOM). Studied data were: length of forearms and legs, length and width (at different locations) of the membranes, in situ and after harvesting, and orientation of their fibers. The thickness of membrane was also measured but only after harvesting.