An Accessory Abductor Digiti Minimi as Possible Risk Factor of the Median and Ulnar Nerves Compression

During routine dissection of a left upper limb of a 68-year-old male human cadaver, an unusual muscle was observed originating from the radius and flexor retinaculum, and continued in the hypothenar region with the muscle belly of the abductor digiti minimi. We checked that it was an accessory abduc...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Catón Vázquez, Francisco Javier, Martínez Sanz, Elena, Morán Morán, Julio, López Fernández, Pedro, Murillo González, Jorge Alfonso
Format: article
Publication Date:2020
Country:España
Institution:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repository:Docta Complutense
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/102497
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/102497
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:611
Accessory abductor digiti minimi
Entrapment
Median nerve
Ulnar nerve
Ciencias Biomédicas
32 Ciencias Médicas
Description
Summary:During routine dissection of a left upper limb of a 68-year-old male human cadaver, an unusual muscle was observed originating from the radius and flexor retinaculum, and continued in the hypothenar region with the muscle belly of the abductor digiti minimi. We checked that it was an accessory abductor digiti minimi (ADM). Its muscular belly was in close relation to the median and ulnar nerves. We review the literature regarding such muscle variations and discuss the potential for compression of the median and ulnar nerves. Although the accessory ADM is usually asymptomatic and only rarely results in nerve compression, it should be taken into account by surgeons when establishing a differential diagnosis in the compression neuropathies of the median and ulnar nerves. An ultrasound scanning can help establish the differential diagnosis.