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Lateral supracondylar line

The lateral supracondylar line is a prominent bony ridge on the posterior aspect of the distal femur. It forms the lateral boundary of the popliteal surface and serves as an important anatomical landmark for muscle attachments and for orientation in distal femoral anatomy and imaging.

It is widely used as a reference in orthopedic anatomy, trauma assessment, and surgical planning of the distal femur.

Synonyms

  • Lateral supracondylar ridge

  • Lateral supracondylar crest

Location

  • Situated on the posterior aspect of the distal femur

  • Extends proximally from the lateral femoral condyle

  • Forms the lateral border of the popliteal surface

  • Runs obliquely upward and laterally

  • Located superior to the lateral epicondyle

Anatomical components

  • Osseous ridge of the distal femoral shaft

  • Distal continuation of the linea aspera (lateral lip)

  • Transition zone between shaft and condylar region

Relations

Anteriorly:

  • Distal femoral shaft

Posteriorly:

  • Popliteal surface of the femur

  • Popliteal artery and vein (indirectly related)

Laterally:

  • Vastus lateralis muscle origin region

Medially:

  • Popliteal surface and intercondylar region

Inferiorly:

  • Lateral femoral condyle and lateral epicondyle

Superiorly:

  • Linea aspera of the femoral shaft

X-ray appearance

Plain radiographs (AP and lateral femur/knee views):

  • Lateral supracondylar line: Linear cortical thickening along the posterolateral distal femur

  • Continuity: Seen extending upward from the lateral condyle

  • Cortical margins: Smooth and sharply defined

  • Useful landmark: Helps differentiate supracondylar from shaft fractures

CT appearance

Non-contrast CT:

  • Supracondylar line: Clearly defined bony ridge with intact cortical margins

  • Cortical thickness: Increased relative to adjacent shaft

  • Spatial orientation: Easily traced from lateral condyle proximally

  • Relationship to condyles: Well-demonstrated in axial and sagittal reconstructions

MRI appearance

T1-weighted images:

  • Cortical bone: Low signal intensity forming a linear ridge

  • Marrow adjacent to the ridge: High signal intensity

  • Anatomic delineation: Ridge seen as a low-signal contour on posterior femur

T2-weighted images:

  • Cortical margins: Low signal

  • Adjacent soft tissues: Intermediate-to-high signal

  • Popliteal surface contour: Well visualized

STIR:

  • Bone cortex: Low signal

  • Marrow fat: Suppressed

  • Supracondylar contour: Clearly outlined against suppressed marrow

Proton density fat-saturated (PD FS):

  • Cortical ridge: Low signal linear structure

  • Surrounding soft tissues: High contrast against suppressed fat

  • Muscle attachments: Well visualized in relation to the ridge

CT VRT 3D image

Lateral supracondylar line 3d

CT image

Lateral supracondylar line ct anatomy labelled image-img-00000-00000

MRI image

Lateral supracondylar line mri anatomy labelled image-img-00000-00000