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An atypical biceps brachii and coracobrachialis muscles associated with multiple neurovascular aberrations: a case report with clinical significance
Affiliations- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Greece
- Department of Anatomy and Surgical Anatomy, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
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Abstract
Neural and vascular variations in the axilla and upper limb area are usually paired, but coexistence of muscular aberration on top of this is uncommon. The current case report emphasizes on the unilateral coexistence of a three-headed (tricipital) biceps brachii muscle, a two-headed coracobrachialis with an accessory muscle bundle joining the superficial and deep heads of coracobrachialis muscle. On the ipsilateral side of the 72-year-old male cadaver, a connecting branch originated from the musculocutaneous nerve and joined the median nerve after surpassing the accessory muscle bundle. A large diameter subscapular trunk originated from the 2nd part of the axillary artery and after giving off the 1st lateral thoracic artery trifurcated into a common stem which gave off the 2nd and 3rd lateral thoracic arteries, the circumflex scapular artery and a common branch that gave off the 4th and 5th lateral thoracic arteries and the thoracodorsal artery, as the ultimate branch. All lateral thoracic arteries were accompanied by multiple intercostobra- chial nerves. Documentation of such muscular and neurovascular variants and their embryologic origin increases awareness of their potential impact on diagnosis and treatment of upper limb pathology. To the best of our knowledge, the currently reported cadaveric observations seem to constitute a unique finding.
Abstract
Neural and vascular variations in the axilla and upper limb area are usually paired, but coexistence of muscular aberration on top of this is uncommon. The current case report emphasizes on the unilateral coexistence of a three-headed (tricipital) biceps brachii muscle, a two-headed coracobrachialis with an accessory muscle bundle joining the superficial and deep heads of coracobrachialis muscle. On the ipsilateral side of the 72-year-old male cadaver, a connecting branch originated from the musculocutaneous nerve and joined the median nerve after surpassing the accessory muscle bundle. A large diameter subscapular trunk originated from the 2nd part of the axillary artery and after giving off the 1st lateral thoracic artery trifurcated into a common stem which gave off the 2nd and 3rd lateral thoracic arteries, the circumflex scapular artery and a common branch that gave off the 4th and 5th lateral thoracic arteries and the thoracodorsal artery, as the ultimate branch. All lateral thoracic arteries were accompanied by multiple intercostobra- chial nerves. Documentation of such muscular and neurovascular variants and their embryologic origin increases awareness of their potential impact on diagnosis and treatment of upper limb pathology. To the best of our knowledge, the currently reported cadaveric observations seem to constitute a unique finding.
Keywords
biceps brachii; variation; coracobrachialis; lateral thoracic artery; intercostobrachial nerve; anastomosis; median nerve; musculocutaneous nerve
About this articleTitle
An atypical biceps brachii and coracobrachialis muscles associated with multiple neurovascular aberrations: a case report with clinical significance
Journal
Issue
Article type
Case report
Pages
444-449
Published online
2018-08-31
Page views
2241
Article views/downloads
1122
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
Folia Morphol 2019;78(2):444-449.
Keywords
biceps brachii
variation
coracobrachialis
lateral thoracic artery
intercostobrachial nerve
anastomosis
median nerve
musculocutaneous nerve
Authors
M. Piagkou
T. Totlis
N. Anastasopoulos
N. Lazaridis
K. Natsis
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