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Variant palmaris profundus enclosed by an unusual loop of the median nerve

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 October 2001

HSIU-CHU CHOU
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, Taipei Medical College
HELLEN JENG
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, Taipei Medical College
TSUI-LING KO
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, Taipei Medical College
MAN-HUI PAI
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, Taipei Medical College
CHIU-YUN CHANG
Affiliation:
Department of Anatomy, Taipei Medical College
CHING-HSIANG WU
Affiliation:
Department of Biology and Anatomy, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan
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Abstract

According to the usual description in most anatomy texts, the median nerve in the forearm passes between the 2 heads of pronator teres. It continues distally between flexor digitorum superficialis and profundus almost to the retinaculum. Muscular branches leave the nerve near the elbow and supply all superficial muscles of the anterior part of the forearm except flexor carpi ulnaris. Many variations of the median nerve in the forearm have been reported (Urban & Krosman, 1992). The palmaris profundus is also a rare anomaly of the forearm (Dyreby & Engber, 1982). It originates from the radial side of the common flexor tendon in the proximal forearm and inserts into the undersurface of the palmar aponeurosis. The origin of palmaris profundus may be close to the median nerve and its branches, and may be involved in compressive neuropathy of the anterior interosseous nerve. Its tendon crossing through the carpal canal has been implicated in the carpal tunnel syndrome (reviewed by Lahey & Aulicino, 1986). In some cases, palmaris profundus was found enclosed in a common fascial sheath with the median nerve (Stark, 1992; Sahinoglu et al. 1994). To indicate its close association with the median nerve, the palmaris profundus was also named ‘musculus comitans nervi mediani’ (Sahinoglu et al. 1994). This article reports an unusual loop of the median nerve encircling an anomalous palmaris profundus in the forearm, which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been previously described.

Type
Correspondence
Copyright
© Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2001

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