Anastomosis between the median and ulnar nerve in the forearm. An anatomic study and literature review

Abstract

Anastomosis between the median and ulnar nerve in the forearm has been shown to be of clinical significance. We aimed to determine the presence of median to ulnar nerve communications in the forearm of the Greek population by anatomical studies. At the same time we defined the types and patterns of the anastomoses found and compared them to those reported in similar studies that were retrieved after a wide review of the literature. One hundred and sixty three forearms from 100 cadavers (53 males, 47 females, 25-91 years old) were carefully dissected to observe median and ulnar nerve communication. The anastomosis was found in 10 cadavers; it was bilateral in 4 and unilateral in 6, on the right side in four and on the left side in two. It occurred in 7 of the 53 male cadavers (14%) and in 3 of the 47 females (6.5%). Overall, the anastomosis was found in 14 of the 163 forearms (8.6%). No case of ulnar to median nerve anastomosis in the forearm was found in anatomical examination.