Nerve loop around the axillary vessels by the roots of the median nerve a rare variation in a south Indian male cadaver: A case report

Abstract

Introduction: Median nerve is normally formed by the union of medial and lateral root arising from the medial and the lateral cords of the brachial plexus respectively. However, variations in the formation and its relation with the axillary vessels are not uncommon. Therefore, knowledge of the variations in the nerve formation and course is useful for the clinicians during surgery and for differential diagnosis of uncommon clinical conditions. Case presentation: During the routine dissection in the department of anatomy, Kasturba Medical Collage, Manipal, India, we found unique anatomical variations in the formation and the course of the roots of the median nerve forming the neural loops around the axillary artery and vein. Conclusion: Here we report the detailed description of these variations along with its clinical, embryological relevance and review of literature. © 2009 Bhat et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.