Vol. 123 No. 3 (2018)
Original Article

An unusual variation of abductor digiti minimi manus and its clinical significance

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  • Álvaro R. Teixeira,
  • Albino J. Fonseca,
  • Márcio A. Babinski,
  • Lucas A.S. Pires,
  • Carlos A.A. Chagas
Álvaro R. Teixeira
Anatomy Laboratory, Morphology Department, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Albino J. Fonseca
Anatomy Laboratory, Morphology Department, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Márcio A. Babinski
Anatomy Laboratory, Morphology Department, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Lucas A.S. Pires
Anatomy Laboratory, Morphology Department, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Carlos A.A. Chagas
Anatomy Laboratory, Morphology Department, Biomedical Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
DOI: https://doi.org/10.13128/IJAE-25407

Published 2019-05-27

Keywords

  • Anatomic variation,
  • autopsy,
  • cadaver,
  • Guyon syndrome

How to Cite

Teixeira, Álvaro R., Fonseca, A. J., Babinski, M. A., Pires, L. A., & Chagas, C. A. (2019). An unusual variation of abductor digiti minimi manus and its clinical significance. Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology, 123(3), 189–193. https://doi.org/10.13128/IJAE-25407
Copyright Notice

Abstract

The abductor digiti minimi manus muscle usually has two heads and two insertions, often close to each other. Accessory bellies of this muscle have been vastly described in anatomy textbooks. During routine dissection of an adult male cadaver left forearm and hand we observed a rare variation of this muscle, in which there was an accessory muscle band which originated from the palmaris longus muscle tendon and traversed through the Guyon’s canal, an anatomical tunnel that is occupied by the ulnar nerve and artery. This type of anatomic variation is often associated with ulnar tunnel syndrome, in which the accessory belly is the source of a neurovascular compression causing pain, weakness of the muscles in the hand, and loss of motor and sensitive functions.
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