Nerve compressions in upper limb: A case report

Entrapment of a peripheral nerve may lead to painful tingling, numbness and weakness. These entrapment or compressive neuropathies are important and wide spread debilitating clinical problems. During a routine dissection of an adult male cadaver we found median artery arising from the ulnar artery and piercing the median nerve. This variation may be clinically important because symptoms of median nerve compression arising from similar variations are often confused with more common causes such as radiculopathy and carpal tunnel syndrome. We also observed an accessory belly of abductor digiti minimi muscle. The accessory belly was found to take origin from the deep forearm fascia, traversed Guyon's canal superficial to the ulnar nerve and vessels to reach the hypothenar eminence. Its course through Guyon's canal could be a cause for ulnar tunnel syndrome. The ulnar nerve trunk innervated the muscle. Accessory fasciculi of the hypothenar muscles have been involved in vascular and nerve compressions.