A Rare Quadruplicate Arrangement of Abductor Pollicis Longus Tendons - Anatomical and Clinical Relevance

Variations of the abductor pollicis longus tendon: an anatomic study

“…In agreement with Mehta et al [16], the APL tendons were classified in the present study into lateral (main) and medial (accessory) ones. In 100% of the cases, both lateral and medial tendons were found to be inserted into the base of the first metacarpal bone.…”

“…This triplication was observed by Bravo et al [2] in 8% only and by Gonzalez et al [8] in 13.6%. Although 4 tendons were found in 18% of specimens of the current work, it was observed only in 4% of the cases dissected by Bravo et al [2] and merely as a case report by Mehta et al [16]. [15].…”

“…Nayak et al [18] and Mehta et al [16] presumed an embryological basis for the accessory APL tendons. The differentiating APL tendon is divided into 3 slips attached to trapezium, first metacarpal and opponens pollicis.…”

“…Using a calibrated caliper, the length of the tendon was measured from the point of insertion to the beginning of the muscle belly, whereas the thickness and width were recorded at their insertion sites. The obtained data was tabulated using a 2-tailed Student's t-test and the statistical analysis was performed using SPSS statistical package version 16. The values were considered significant if p < 0.05.…”

Bilateral Double Bellies of Abductor Pollicis Longus

“…The additional muscle bellies in all the cases arose from the lateral aspect of the distal portion of abductor pollicis longus muscle. The lateral, lying adjacent to the extensor pollicis brevis tendon, was considered the main APL tendon, while the medial tendons were regarded as accessory ones, according to classification given by mehta et al [8]. The lateral tendons were inserted into the base of the first metacarpal bone; to its anterolateral surface in 8 limbs and on its lateral surface in 4 limbs.…”