Surgical anatomy of the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve

Abstract

In standard anatomy textbooks the course and distribution of the medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve and its branches are glossed over in a vague fashion as if they are of little importance. There are, however, clinical circumstances in which a knowledge of the anatomy of this nerve is invaluable. Sacrifice of the posterior branch in a medial approach to the elbow or cubital tunnel surgery can lead to annoying numbness over the olecranon and a symptomatic neuroma. The medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve is also frequently used in nerve grafting, especially in brachial plexus reconstruction, in which it is beneficial to know the available length and size of donor nerve. Fifty fresh cadaveric arms were dissected to define the course, distribution, size, and branches of the nerve.