Evaluation of the Normal Olecranon (Elbow) Bursa

I had no idea that the presence of the elbow’s bursa was in question. As it turns out yes there is a olecranon bursa however it is the flimsiest of structures with its synovial membrane being one cell thick! On top of that it does not lie under the tendons as shown in the diagram above (copied from a well studied veterinary text) but lies over the tendon, illustrated in the diagram but not labelled.
DrO

Evaluation of the Olecranon Bursa: An Anatomical Structure in the Normal Horse
J Equine Vet Sci. 2020 Oct;93:103207.

Authors
Charlotte Emma Gaul 1 , Andrew Frederick Rich 2 , Lorenzo Ressel 2 , Guy Joseph Hinnigan 3 , Kathryn Rose Owen 3
Affiliations

1 Oakhill Veterinary Centre, Langley Lane, Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom.
2 Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Chester High Road, Neston, Cheshire, United Kingdom.
3 Oakhill Veterinary Centre, Langley Lane, Preston, Lancashire, United Kingdom.

Abstract

This study aimed to determine whether a true synovial structure exists over the olecranon tuberosity, which could be attributed to a noninflamed olecranon bursa. Contrast radiography, gross anatomical dissection, and histopathology were used to evaluate the olecranon bursa in horses with no previous elbow pathology. The radiographic study revealed that the contrast was positioned subcutaneously, superficial to the long head of the triceps and its insertion on the olecranon tuberosity and did not extend cranial to the triceps tendon. The contrast region was consistent in shape, size, and location. Gross anatomical dissection of the area revealed a potential bursal space overlying the tendons of the lateral and medial heads of the triceps brachii and the tensor fascia antebrachii in the normal horse. Histopathology confirmed a bursal lining, which was of mesenchymal origin and suggestive of a single-cell membrane, lined by fibroblast-like synoviocytes.