Bj. Jolley et al., PATTERNS OF MEDIAN NERVE SENSORY INNERVATION TO THE THUMB AND INDEX FINGER - AN ANATOMIC STUDY, The Journal of hand surgery, 22A(2), 1997, pp. 228-231
Anatomic dissections were performed on 79 cadaveric hands to elucidate
the patterns of median nerve sensory innervation to the thumb and ind
ex finger. The most common pattern (type I, 69%) consisted of a radial
digital nerve to the thumb and a common digital nerve to the first we
b, which subsequently divided into a radial digital nerve to the index
and an ulnar digital nerve to the thumb. The least common (type II, 6
%) consisted of a common digital nerve to the thumb and a proper digit
al nerve to the radial side of the index finger. A trifurcation patter
n (type III, 25%) consisted of three proper digital nerves (radial thu
mb, ulnar thumb, and radial index). These findings are at odds with mo
st standard textbook descriptions, which depict types II and III most
frequently.