Internal anatomy of the communicating branch between the ulnar and median nerves in the hand and its relevance to volar digital sensibility

J Hand Surg Am. 2002 Jan;27(1):143-6. doi: 10.1053/jhsu.2002.30075.

Abstract

We studied the microanatomy of the communicating branch between the ulnar and median nerves in 26 adult cadaver hands to explain diminished sensibility in the fourth and fifth fingers we had observed in 2 patients after complete transection of the median nerve. Two new variations of the communicating branch were observed. In the first variation the communicating branch originated proximally from the third common digital nerve to distally join the ring finger ulnar digital nerve and the small finger radial digital nerve. In the second variation the ramus communicans traversed perpendicularly between the third and fourth common digital nerves with a crossover of nerve fibers.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Hand / innervation
  • Hand / pathology*
  • Hand / physiopathology*
  • Humans
  • Hypesthesia / pathology*
  • Hypesthesia / physiopathology*
  • Hypesthesia / surgery
  • Median Nerve / pathology*
  • Median Nerve / physiopathology*
  • Median Nerve / surgery
  • Nerve Fibers / physiology
  • Synaptic Transmission / physiology*
  • Touch / physiology*
  • Ulnar Nerve / pathology*
  • Ulnar Nerve / physiopathology*
  • Ulnar Nerve / surgery