Ulnar Nerve Palsy After Elbow Arthroscopy

Reports of ulnar nerve injury as a result of elbow arthroscopy are rare in the literature. We report a case of ulnar nerve injury following arthroscopic debridement and retrograde drilling of the capitulum in a patient with symptomatic osteochondritis dissecans. The standard location of proximal medial portal placement is 2 cm proximal to the medial epicondyle at the level of the medial intermuscular septum. In this location, the ulnar nerve is protected from injury by the medial intermuscular septum. Extending this placement more proximally may negate this protection, leaving the nerve more susceptible to injury.