Background Previous discussions regarding variant femoral nerves often report an aberrant slip of a small portion of the iliacus muscle as a common cause of the femoral nerve splitting. Within these reported cases, the variant path involves a small amount of the nerve and treatment often involves surgical intervention to relieve nerve entrapment. Only a few cases have been reported that were not secondary to an aberrant muscle slippage, none of which include the variant discussed below. Case presentation A Caucasian male cadaver in his 70 s was discovered to have a variant femoral nerve upon dissection and evaluation of the pelvic region, without evidence of muscle slippage or surgical intervention. The bulk of the nerve pierced and traveled deep within the iliacus muscle before emerging distal to the pubic eminence and merging with the smaller portion that continued with the native course anteriorly. This variation would result in a predisposition to nerve compression during hip flexion and knee extension, with subsequent patient concerns of muscle weakness and sensory loss of unknown origins. Conclusion Awareness of this atypical variation could provide clinicians with another potential diagnosis to consider when managing femoral neuropathy, as well as the rationale for a noninvasive treatment option.
Background This case report documents a rare variation of a persistent median artery. Normally a transient vessel present during embryologic development of the limbs, the median artery typically regresses by the eighth week of life as the radial and ulnar arteries predominate the distal vascular supply of the hand. In a subset of the adult population, this artery remains as a persistent median artery which most often ends in the carpal tunnel or hand without significant vascular dependence. Case presentation An 84-year-old female cadaver was found bilaterally to have an artery that penetrated the median nerve in the forearm, continued through the carpal tunnel, then joined the superficial arch, giving rise to the common digital artery to the second webspace. It also gave rise to the radialis indicis, the princeps pollicis, and an anastomotic branch to the radial artery. Conclusions This anatomic variant of a persistent median artery piercing the median nerve, traversing the carpal tunnel, and providing aberrant primary blood supply to a large area of the hand are details clinically relevant to those who treat hand disorders and injuries.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.