Abstract
IntroductionThe Palmaris longus, one of the most variable muscles in the body both flexes the wrist and tenses the palmar fascia. It is used by surgeons as a source of tendon graft and racial differences in its variation have been documented. We sought to determine the frequency of the absence of the Palmaris longus in an East African population.MethodsA prospective study was conducted using ten common clinical tests among patients and students in a large teaching hospital in East Africa to determine the presence of a Palmaris longus.ResultsThe overall rate of absence was 4.4% with unilateral absence at 3.3% and bilateral absence at 1.1%. The overall difference between males and females was not statistically significant (p = 0.605). Participants were more likely to have absence in their non dominant hand.DiscussionOur findings though in contrast to many studies worldwide, it concurs with most studies done in the African setting. These differences may be due to the higher levels of manual labour and the more use of the right hand in these activities. The frequency of the absence of Palmaris longus in East Africa has been determined. Surgeons should acquaint themselves with prevalence in their areas of practice.
Highlights
The Palmaris longus, one of the most variable muscles in the body both flexes the wrist and tenses the palmar fascia
The Palmaris longus is a weak flexor of the wrist joint and tenses the palmar fascia[4].Though the rate of absence of the Palmaris Longus has been documented in many African populations, this has not been documented in East Africa by clinical methods in a large population[5,6]
We examined 800 subjects, the majority (76.1%) of whom were students and right handed (94.4%)
Summary
The Palmaris longus, one of the most variable muscles in the body both flexes the wrist and tenses the palmar fascia. It is used by surgeons as a source of tendon graft and racial differences in its variation have been documented. The Palmaris longus is a weak flexor of the wrist joint and tenses the palmar fascia[4].Though the rate of absence of the Palmaris Longus has been documented in many African populations, this has not been documented in East Africa by clinical methods in a large population[5,6]. We aimed at noting any relationship with sex and dominant hand These findings will document the frequency of agenesis in this population and will be useful to surgeons working in this particular population
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