title: Internal anatomy of the communicating branch between the ulnar and median nerves in the hand and its relevance to volar digital sensibility.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Vrije Universiteit Medisch Centrum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: J Peter W
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Don Griot
authors.forename: E Oscar
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Van Kooten
authors.forename: J Michiel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zuidam
authors.forename: Lucian Poliacu
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Prosé
authors.forename: J Joris
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hage
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006225:Hand / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D006987:Hypesthesia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008475:Median Nerve / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000502:physiology*; D014110:Touch / Q000502:physiology*; D014459:Ulnar Nerve / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery