Surgical neck of the humerus

Surgical neck of the humerus
Left humerus. Anterior view. (Surgical neck labeled at upper left.)
Details
Precursor	.......
Identifiers
Latin	collum chirurgicum humeri
TA98	A02.4.04.004
TA2	1183
FMA	23359
Anatomical terminology

The surgical neck of the humerus is a constriction below the tubercles of the greater tubercle and lesser tubercle, and above the deltoid tuberosity, specifically found at the proximal end of the body of the humerus, and distally towards the greater tubercle and lesser tubercle.

It is much more frequently fractured than the anatomical neck of the humerus. A fracture in this area is most likely to cause damage to the axillary nerve and posterior circumflex humeral artery. Damage to the axillary nerve affects function of the teres minor and deltoid muscles, resulting in loss of abduction of arm (from 15-90 degrees), weak flexion, extension, and rotation of shoulder as well as loss of sensation of the skin over a small part of the lateral shoulder.

Neck of Humerus

See also

• Quadrangular space

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 209 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

External links

• Anatomy image: skel/humerusup2 at Human Anatomy Lecture (Biology 129), Pennsylvania State University
• "Surgical neck of humerus". Medcyclopaedia. GE. Archived from the original on 2007-06-20.
• radiographsul at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University) (xrayleftshoulder)