Conoid Ligament, Anterior View

Description

Arising from the coracoid process, the conoid ligament ascends superomedially in a tight, cone-shaped band to its impression on the inferior surface of the lateral clavicle, just medial to the acromioclavicular joint. From an anterior shoulder perspective, the distal clavicle lies superior to the coracoid, while the humeral head sits lateral to the glenoid fossa of the scapula; portions of the upper ribs and anterior thoracic wall provide orientation. The acromion and spine of the scapula sit posterolateral to the coracoid, even when only their margins are suggested by the osseous model. As the medial component of the coracoclavicular ligament complex, the conoid resists superior displacement of the clavicle and limits anterior rotation of the scapula relative to the clavicle during arm elevation. It is the restraint that fails in higher-grade acromioclavicular separations, where widening of the coracoclavicular distance on radiographs mirrors disruption of the conoid and trapezoid ligaments. A key landmark. Orthopaedic and sports-medicine texts commonly need this view to explain Rockwood classification, coracoclavicular reconstruction, and safe corridors when passing grafts or suture buttons between coracoid and clavicle. Anatomy and kinesiology courses also use it to connect scapulothoracic motion to ligamentous control at the clavicle, and to compare the conoid’s vertical fiber direction with the more lateral, oblique trapezoid ligament. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.