AXILLARY NERVE SUPPLYING MOTOR BRANCH TO LONG HEAD OF TRICEPS BRACHII MUSCLE: A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Abstract

All three heads of the triceps brachii are classically described as being innervated by the radial nerve in the textbooks. Some clinical observations of traumatic injuries of the axillary nerve with associated paralysis of the long head of triceps and cadaveric studies have suggested that the axillary nerve may innervate the long head of triceps. During routine dissection to undergraduate M.B.B.S students, we found axillary nerve giving a motor branch to long head of triceps brachii on right side, in an adult male cadaver aged about 60 years. We conducted extensive literature search to analyse the previous studies reporting such variations and the studies conducted on the radial nerve or triceps brachii innervation pattern. This variation is clinically important for surgeons, orthopedicians and anaesthetist while performing surgeries and pain management therapies on the upper limb.