Abstract
The brachial plexus consists of a network of nerves that innervates the upper limbs and its musculature. We report a rare formation of the lateral cord of the brachial plexus observed during the dissection of a 47-year-old male cadaver at the Department of Anatomy, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India, in 2016. The lateral cord was exceptionally long with twin lateral pectoral nerves and twin lateral roots of the median nerve. The proximal lateral root of the median nerve was thin in comparison to the medial root of the median nerve. The distal lateral root of the median nerve was thicker and followed an unusual course through the coracobrachialis muscle. In the lower third of the arm, the median nerve and the brachial artery-along with its vena comitans-spanned through the brachialis muscle. Surgeons, anaesthesiologists, radiologists and anatomists should be aware of such anatomical variations as they may result in neurovascular compression.
Highlights
The brachial plexus consists of a network of nerves that innervates the upper limbs and its musculature
We report a rare formation of the lateral cord of the brachial plexus observed during the dissection of a 47-year-old male cadaver at the Department of Anatomy, Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, New Delhi, India, in 2016
The third branch is the lateral root of the median nerve (MN), which is a continuation of the lateral cord (LC); this joins the medial root to enfold the axillary artery and forms the MN.[1]
Summary
An unusual variation of the left brachial plexus was noted [Figure 1]. The proximal LPN (LP1) was thicker, pierced the clavipectoral fascia and entered the superficial surface. The distal LPN (LP2) was slender, branched one centimetre away from the LP1 and entered the pectoralis minor muscle from its deeper aspect. The proximal lateral root of the MN (LRM1) was slender and originated 3.7 cm from the formation of the LC. The distal lateral root of the MN (LRM2) measured 9.2 cm in length, was significantly thicker and arose 9 cm from the formation of the LC [Figure 2]. The proximal course of the McN passed between the BB and CB muscles and traversed between the BB and brachialis muscles distally to continue as the lateral cutaneous nerve of the forearm. All measurements were recorded using a thread to follow the course of the nerves
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