Morphological Study Of Palmaris Longus Muscle

Abstract

Background: The palmaris longus is one of the most variable muscle in the human body, this variations are important not only for the anatomist but also radiologist, orthopaedic, plastic surgeons, clinicians, therapists. In view of this significance is performed this study with the purpose to determine the morphological variations of palmaris longus muscle.
 Methods and Findings: A total of 17 cadavers with different age groups were used for this study. The upper limbs region (34 sides) were dissected carefully and photographed in the Morphology Laboratory at the University of Pamplona. Of the 34 limbs studied, 30 showed normal morphology of the Palmaris longus muscle (PL) (88,2%); PL was absent in 3 subjects (8,85% of all examined forearm). Unilateral absence was found in 1 male subject (2,95% of all examined forearm); bilateral agenesis was found in 2 female subjects (5,9% of all examined forearm). Duplicated PL muscle was found in 1 male subject (2,95 % of all examined forearm). The palmaris longus muscle was innervated by branches of the median nerve .The accessory palmaris longus muscle was supplied by the deep branch of the ulnar nerve. Palmaris longus muscle is a muscle located in the superficial layer of the anterior compartment of the forearm. It has a small belly arising from the medial epicondyle of the humerus, and its long thin tendon inserts into the palmar aponeurosis in the hand, the muscle has importance in medical clinic, surgery, radiological analysis, in studies about high-performance athletes, in genetics and anthropologic studies.
 Conclusions: The anatomical variations of the palmaris longus muscle must be documented of their clinical significance and their potential use in orthopaedic and reconstructive surgery.