Applied Anatomical Study Of Median Nerve And Its Muscular Branches In Forearm

Objective: To measure the anatomical data of the muscular branches of the median nerve in the forearm. To provide the morphological evidence for the repair of the median nerve in the forearm and the median nerve compression syndrome.Methods: By the method of the anatomical dissection, the muscular branches of the median nerves from 30 upper extremities of adult cadavers were measured and observed anatomically, the obtained data were analyzed by the statistics software SPSS 11.5.Result: In the upper portion of the forearm, the median nerve gives off a lot of large muscular branches to supply the muscles in front of the forearm except the brachioradialis, the flexor carpi ulnaris and the medial half of the flexor digitorum profundus, including the branches to the pronator teres, the flexor carpi radialis, the palmaris longus, the flexor digitorum superficialis, the flexor pollicis longus, the flexor digitorum profundus and the pronator quadrates. Of all, the branches to the pronator teres, the flexor carpi radialis, the palmaris longus and the flexor digitorum superficialis are gived off directly from the median nerve, but the branches to the flexor pollicis longus, the flexor digitorum profundus and the pronator quadrates are the terminal branches of the anterior interosseous nrve from the median nerve.There are four types of the muscular branches of the median nerve in the forearm, including 1 branch, 2 branches, 3 branches and 4 branches. Of all, the number of the branches to the pronator teres(87%) is 3, the number of the branches to the flexor digitorum superficialis(90%) and flexor digitorum profundus (86.7%) is 4, the number of the branches to the flexor carpi radialis(96.7%), the palmaris longus(96.7%) and the flexor pollicis longus(93.3%) is 1. The muscular branches of the median nerve concentrate on 10～65% of the forearm.Conclusion: To confirm the danger location and position of the median nerve in the forearm; to discuss the type of the muscular branches which could be transferred with the blood vessel and muscle; to provide the anatomical basis for the pronator quadrates muscle branch of anterior interosseous nerve transfered to repair the median nerve and ulnar nerve, the diagnosis and treatment of the anterior interosseous nerve syndrome and the pronator teres syndrome.