Musculocutaneous and median nerve branching: anatomical variations. Case Series from UR clinical anatomy and literature review

Abstract

Introduction: The brachial plexus is highly variable, which is a well-known anatomical fact. Repeated observations on anatomical variations, however, constitute current trends in anatomical research. Case series: In an anatomical dissection course, three uncommon variations in the brachial plexus were identified in three young adults’ cadavers. In one case, the musculocutaneous nerve gave a branch to the median nerve, while the median nerve gave or received musculocutaneous branches in the two remaining corpses. Conclusion: Anatomical variations of the brachial plexus do occur in our setting. The cases we presented are about anatomical variations of branching patterns of the median and musculocutaneous nerves. Knowledge of those variations is essential for surgery and regional anesthesia of the upper limbs. Keywords: Anatomical variations; brachial plexus; median nerve; musculocutaneous nerve; upper limb.