Topographical and anatomical relationships of nerves and arteries in the muscles of the little finger in human fetuses
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15574/PS.2025.2(87).2127Keywords:
hypothenar, hand, nerves, arteries, anatomical variability, fetusAbstract
Currently, hand surgeries require detailed description of blood supply characteristics and sources of innervation of individual hand muscles and knowledge of intramuscular distribution characteristics of nerves and arteries.
Аim - to investigate the topographical and anatomical relationships of nerves and arteries in the muscles of the little finger in human fetuses.
Materials and methods. We studied 32 hand specimens from 16 human fetuses 81.0-375.0 mm parieto-coccygeal length (PCL) by macromicroscopic dissection, arterial vessel injection, and morphometry without external signs of anatomical abnormalities or congenital malformations of the fascial-muscular and vascular-nerve formations of the upper extremities. The author used his own method of sequential anatomical dissection of the vessels and nerves of the palmar part of the human hand.
Results. In the human fetus, each muscle of the little finger has a specific source of innervation and blood supply. As a rule, there are several sources of blood supply; they can be divided into the main - permanent and additional - non-permanent. In the human fetuses studied, the superficial branch of the ulnar nerve is involved in the innervation of the short palmar muscle. The abductor digitorum, short flexor digitorum, and oppositorum muscles of the little finger are innervated primarily by the deep branch of the ulnar nerve. Less commonly, the innervation of the abductor digitorum muscle is provided by the trunk of the ulnar nerve or its superficial branch, and the innervation of the short flexor muscle of the little finger is provided by the nerve branch of the abductor digitorum muscle. The main source of blood supply to the hypothenar muscles is the muscular branches of the ulnar artery, less often the deep branch of the ulnar artery, the palmar finger artery of the fifth finger, the IV palmar metacarpal artery, and a branch of the artery of the abductor muscle of the little finger. In the thickness of the abductor muscle of the little finger, there are arterial anastomoses and nerve connections. Individual arterial and nerve anastomoses in the form of loops were found in the thickness of the belly of the short palmaris muscle.
Conclusions. The gateway for the entry of nerves and arteries into the muscles of the little finger elevation is located in the proximal third of their abdomen, and the nerves and arteries usually accompany each other. Arterial anastomoses and nerve connections are found in the thickness of the muscles of the little finger elevation, which should be considered in practical work. The results obtained on the topographic and anatomical relationships of the nerves and arteries of the hypothenar muscles can be used by surgeons to anatomically justify incisions during myoplastic surgery with the greatest sparing of intramuscular nerves and arteries.
The study was conducted in accordance with the tenets of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the local ethics committee of the institution mentioned in the article.
No conflict of interests was declared by the author.
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