title: THE SUPERFICIAL BRANCH OF THE RADIAL NERVE: A MORPHOLOGIC STUDY.
abstract: Study the morphology of the superficial branch of the radial nerve (SBRN) of the forearms and wrists of fresh adult human cadavers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty three dissections were performed under 3.5x loupe magnification, histological sections of the nerve were obtained in 20 dissections for fascicle identification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The SBRN emerged, in average, at 8.65cm proximal to the radial styloid apophysis (RSA) between the Brachioradialis (BR) and Extensor Carpi Radialis Longus (ECRL) tendons. In 6/23 cases the SBRN emerged between an accessory BR tendon and the main BR tendon. The first branch of the SBRN arose at an average of 4.58 cm proximal to the RSA. A branch running across the RSA was found in 7/23 cases. At that level, the average number of branches crossing the wrist was 3.4. A fascicle count of the nerve and its first branch showed an average of 6.6 and 4.0 fascicles, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our anatomical findings are similar to those in the revised literature and contribute towards a better knowledge of the SBRN. Great caution is required in surgical procedures such as percutaneous bone fixation of the distal 1/3 of the forearm and wrist and particularly, in those susceptible to SBRN injury, as in seven of the 23 cases the SRBN ran directly accross the RSA. The authors recommend performing small longitudinal incisions down to the subcutaneous tissue, separating the nerve branches by blunt soft tissue dissection, with a delicate haemostat, before introducing the Kirschner wires (minimally invasive procedures).
authors.affiliation: Hand Surgery Group, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, RS.
authors.forename: Celso Ricardo
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Folberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), SP.
authors.forename: Heitor
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ulson
authors.affiliation: Orthopedics and Traumatology Clinic, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, RS.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Benedet
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Scheidt
keywords: Cadaver; Fracture fixation, internal; Radial nerve/anatomy