THE PALMAR CUTANEOUS BRANCH OF THE MEDIAN NERVE AND THE PALMARIS LONGUS TENDON - A CADAVERIC STUDY

The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency with which th e palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve passes through the palma ris longus tendon. Fifty-two wrists (27 cadavers) were dissected. In t hree wrists the palmaris longus tendon was absent. The palmar cutaneou s branch was seen to course through the fibers of the palmaris longus in two specimens (different cadavers). The nerve passed through the te ndon 1 and 1.5 cm proximal to its insertion into the palmar aponeurosi s. In the presence of this anomaly the palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve is at risk of injury during harvesting of the palmaris lo ngus tendon for grafts. To avoid injury, we recommend transecting the tendon 2 cm proximal to its insertion into the palmar aponeurosis.