Welcome to International Journal of Anatomy and Research

Type of Article: Original Research

Year: 2016 | Volume 4 | Issue 2 | Page No. 2397-2400

Date of Publication: 30-06-2016

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.16965/ijar.2016.157

A STUDY OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FORMATION OF THE MEDIAN NERVE

P.S.Chitra ^*1, V. Anandhi².

^*1 Associate Professor, KAPV Government Medical College, Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu, India.

² Associate Professor, KAPV Government Medical College, Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu, India.

Address: Dr.P.S.Chitra. M.S. (Anatomy), Associate Professor of Anatomy, KAPV Government Medical College, Tiruchirappalli, Tamilnadu, India. Mobile No: +9183447 67640.
E-Mail: pschitraezhilko@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

Background: Normally, the median nerve is formed by the union of two roots; medial root and lateral root of median nerve arising from the medial cord and lateral cord of brachial plexus respectively. The knowledge about the formation of median nerve from a single cord, by more than two roots, and their relationship with the axillary artery has profound importance during upper limb surgeries and during axillary block procedures.
Materials and Method: The median nerve formation was studied during routine dissection for undergraduate students in 36 cadavers i.e. 72 upper limbs of formalin preserved cadavers, over a period of 6 years.
 Results: In this study four anomalies were found in the formation of the median nerve in 5 upper limbs. In one limb the median nerve arose from the single fused medial and lateral cords of brachial plexus (1.38%). In both upper limbs of a cadaver, three roots were taking part in the formation of median nerve (2.7%); two roots from lateral cord and one from medial cord. In one upper limb the median nerve was formed by three roots and the third root was from musculocutaneous nerve (1.38%).  The median nerve was formed by four roots in an upper limb; three of them were from lateral cord and one from medial cord of brachial plexus (1.38%).
Conclusion: From the study we find that the median nerve can be formed by two, three or four roots. It can also arise from a fused cord or get an additional contribution from the musculocutaneous nerve. Awareness of these different modes of formation would be an asset to the operating surgeons and anaesthetists to avoid catastrophes during their procedures.
Key Words: Medial root, Lateral root, Median nerve formation, variations.

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P.S.Chitra, V.Anandhi. A STUDY OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF FORMATION OF THE MEDIAN NERVE. Int J Anat Res 2016;4(2):2397-2400. DOI: 10.16965/ijar.2016.157