Anatomical Localisation and Morphometric Study of Lister’s Tubercle of Radius: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Fractures of the distal radius are one of the most common injuries and it accounts for 8-15% of all fractures of the upper limb. Lister’s Tubercle (LT) is an important anatomical, surgical landmark during various orthopaedic and other surgical procedures on the distal radius.

Aim: To determine the anatomical localisation of LT in relation to radial styloid process and ulnar notch and to measure the morphometric parameters of LT on dry radii.

Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was done on 180 radii, 90 right-sided and 90 left-sided obtained from the Department of Anatomy, Medical College Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, India, from December 2021 to August 2022. Localisation and length, width and height of the lister tubercle were measured with the help of a vernier calliper. Mean and range of each parameter was calculated. All measurements were made by two observers to avoid bias interpretation. The data were entered in Microsoft Excel window 10.

Results: On right-side the LT was nearer to the styloid process in 04 radii (ratio was less than 1) while it was nearer to the ulnar notch in 86 radii (ratio was more than 1). Highest ratio of two distance was 1.768 (LT nearer to ulnar notch) while the lowest distance was 0.8706 (LT nearer to styloid process). On left-side LT was nearer to styloid process in 28 radii (ratio was less than 1) while it was nearer to ulnar notch in 62 radii (ratio was more than 1). Highest ratio of two distance was 1.42 (LT nearer to ulnar notch) while the lowest distance was 0.79 (LT nearer to styloid process). The mean length of LT on right-side was 12.30±1.46 mm, breadth 4.66±0.98 mm, while height was 2.87±0.57 mm and the mean length of LT on the left-side was 13.19±1.511 mm, width 4.89±1.17 mm, while the height was 2.96±0.692 mm.

Conclusion: The present study shows that in majority of cases, LT was nearer to the ulnar notch and the distance between LT and radial styloid process was more. The anatomical localisation and morphometric data of LT will be is useful in various surgical procedures like screw fixation in volar plating and micro nail techniques.