---
title: "Olecranon graft site: CT shows peak cancellous density 1 cm distal to tip"
id: "pubmed-42927734"
canonical_url: "https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42927734"
content_type: "clinical_feed_article"
specialty: "Pharmacology"
source_name: "PubMed / NCBI"
source_url: "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/"
doi: "10.1177/17531934261480422"
published_at: "2026-10-25T12:00:00.000Z"
evidence_level: "Journal Article"
license: "CC-BY-NC-4.0 / Informational Use"
---
# Olecranon graft site: CT shows peak cancellous density 1 cm distal to tip
## Provenance & Clinical Metadata
- **Canonical URL:** https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pubmed-42927734
- **Specialty:** [Pharmacology](https://medichelpline.com/clinical-feed/pharmacology.md)
- **Primary Source:** PubMed / NCBI
- **Source URL:** [Original Journal Publication](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/)
- **DOI:** [10.1177/17531934261480422](https://doi.org/10.1177%2F17531934261480422)
- **Published At:** 2026-10-25T12:00:00.000Z
- **Evidence Rating:** Journal Article
## Executive GIST (TL;DR)
- Investigators performed computed tomography on 305 healthy forearms to evaluate cancellous bone density in the proximal ulna. - The cohort showed the highest cancellous bone density located 1 cm distal to the olecranon tip. - Density decreased progressively in a distal direction from that point, according to the authors. - The authors reported that this specific locus appears optimal for harvesting **proximal ulna bone graft** in hand and reconstructive orthopaedic surgery. - The article identified the imaging method (CT) and sample size (305 forearms) but did not provide detailed demographic breakdowns, absolute density values, or surgical technique parameters. - Conflict of interest statement: the authors declared no potential conflicts related to this work. - MeSH indexing included **Bone Density**, olecranon imaging and surgery, and transplantation and harvesting methods. - The study team did not report clinical outcomes after graft harvest, biomechanical testing of graft specimens, or comparative data against alternative donor sites. - Practical implication noted by the authors: targeting the site 1 cm distal to the olecranon tip may maximize cancellous yield for reconstructive procedures, though unanswered questions remain about procedural safety and patient-specific variability. - Limitations explicitly not detailed in the abstract include lack of age, sex, comorbidity stratification, and absence of operative correlation or histologic confirmation of CT density measures.
## Clinical Analysis & Structured Key Points
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Epub 2026 Oct 25. # Optimal location for bone grafting from the olecranon [Andreas Weber](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Weber+A&cauthor_id=42927734)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Department of Orthopedics, Hand Surgery Division, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Switzerland."), [Corinna Grau](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Grau+C&cauthor_id=42927734)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Department of Orthopedics, Hand Surgery Division, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Switzerland."), [Christopher Gaffney](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Gaffney+C&cauthor_id=42927734)[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/#full-view-affiliation-2 "Harvard University DCE, Cambridge, MA, USA."), [Ines Unterfrauner](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Unterfrauner+I&cauthor_id=42927734)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Department of Orthopedics, Hand Surgery Division, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Switzerland."), [Lisa Reissner](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Reissner+L&cauthor_id=42927734)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/#full-view-affiliation-1 "Department of Orthopedics, Hand Surgery Division, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Switzerland.") Affiliations Expand ### Affiliations * 1 Department of Orthopedics, Hand Surgery Division, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Switzerland. * 2 Harvard University DCE, Cambridge, MA, USA. * PMID: **42927734** * DOI: [ 10.1177/17531934261480422 ](https://doi.org/10.1177/17531934261480422) Item in Clipboard # Optimal location for bone grafting from the olecranon Andreas Weber et al. J Hand Surg Eur Vol. 2026 Nov. Show details Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID J Hand Surg Eur Vol Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22J+Hand+Surg+Eur+Vol%22%5Bjour%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in NLM Catalog ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog?term=%22J+Hand+Surg+Eur+Vol%22%5BTitle+Abbreviation%5D) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) . 2026 Nov;51(10):1374-1375. doi: 10.1177/17531934261480422. Epub 2026 Oct 25. ### Authors [Andreas Weber](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Weber+A&cauthor_id=42927734)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Department of Orthopedics, Hand Surgery Division, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Switzerland."), [Corinna Grau](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Grau+C&cauthor_id=42927734)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Department of Orthopedics, Hand Surgery Division, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Switzerland."), [Christopher Gaffney](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Gaffney+C&cauthor_id=42927734)[ 2 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/#short-view-affiliation-2 "Harvard University DCE, Cambridge, MA, USA."), [Ines Unterfrauner](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Unterfrauner+I&cauthor_id=42927734)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Department of Orthopedics, Hand Surgery Division, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Switzerland."), [Lisa Reissner](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Reissner+L&cauthor_id=42927734)[ 1 ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/#short-view-affiliation-1 "Department of Orthopedics, Hand Surgery Division, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Switzerland.") ### Affiliations * 1 Department of Orthopedics, Hand Surgery Division, Balgrist University Hospital, University of Zürich, Switzerland. * 2 Harvard University DCE, Cambridge, MA, USA. * PMID: **42927734** * DOI: [ 10.1177/17531934261480422 ](https://doi.org/10.1177/17531934261480422) Item in Clipboard Cite Display options Display options Format Abstract PubMed PMID Linked Discoveries ## Abstract Computed tomography of 305 healthy forearms showed that the highest cancellous bone density is 1 cm distal to the olecranon tip, decreasing distally. This site appears optimal for proximal ulna bone graft harvesting in hand and reconstructive orthopaedic surgery. **Keywords:** Corrective osteotomy; hand surgery; harvesting; reconstruction; spongiosa. [PubMed Disclaimer](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/) ## Conflict of interest statement Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. ## MeSH terms * Bone Density Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Bone+Density%22%5BMeSH%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in MeSH ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Bone+Density) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * Bone Transplantation* / methods Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Bone+Transplantation%2Fmethods%22%5BMAJR%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in MeSH ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Bone+Transplantation) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * Humans Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Humans%22%5BMeSH%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in MeSH ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Humans) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * Olecranon Process* / diagnostic imaging Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Olecranon+Process%2Fdiagnostic+imaging%22%5BMAJR%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in MeSH ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Olecranon+Process) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * Olecranon Process* / surgery Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Olecranon+Process%2Fsurgery%22%5BMAJR%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in MeSH ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Olecranon+Process) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * Olecranon Process* / transplantation Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Olecranon+Process%2Ftransplantation%22%5BMAJR%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in MeSH ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Olecranon+Process) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * Tissue and Organ Harvesting* / methods Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Tissue+and+Organ+Harvesting%2Fmethods%22%5BMAJR%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in MeSH ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Tissue+and+Organ+Harvesting) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * Tomography, X-Ray Computed Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Tomography%2C+X-Ray+Computed%22%5BMeSH%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in MeSH ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Tomography%2C+X-Ray+Computed) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * Ulna* / diagnostic imaging Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Ulna%2Fdiagnostic+imaging%22%5BMAJR%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in MeSH ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Ulna) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * Ulna* / transplantation Actions * [ Search in PubMed ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Ulna%2Ftransplantation%22%5BMAJR%5D&sort=date&sort_order=desc) * [ Search in MeSH ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh?term=Ulna) * [ Add to Search ](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) [x] Cite Copy Download .nbib .nbib Format: AMA APA MLA NLM **Send To** * [Clipboard](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * [Email](https://account.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?back_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F42927734%2F%23open-email-panel) * [Save](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) * [My Bibliography](https://account.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?back_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F42927734%2F%23open-bibliography-panel) * [Collections](https://account.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?back_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2F42927734%2F%23open-collections-panel) * [Citation Manager](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42927734/) [x] NCBI Literature Resources [MeSH](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/) [PMC](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/) [Bookshelf](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books) [Disclaimer](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/disclaimer/) The PubMed wordmark and PubMed logo are registered trademarks of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 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