COMPRESSION NEUROPATHY OF THE PALMAR CUTANEOUS BRANCH OF THE MEDIAN NERVE BY THE ANTEBRACHIAL FASCIA

An isolated compression neuropathy of the palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve is described in a woman who presented with a small tender mass over the anterior aspect of her distal forearm and complete numbness over the thenar eminence. Surgical exploration revealed thickening of the palmar cutaneous nerve as it passed upwards through the antebrachial fascia on the ulnar aspect of the flexor carpi radialis tendon. Neurolysis of two separate fascicles of the palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve and excision of a window of antebrachiai fascia resulted in complete return of sensation over the thenar eminence. Journal of Hand Surgery (British and European Volume, 1996) 21B: 5:666 667 The palmar cutaneous branch of the median nerve provides sensation to the thenar eminence and the proximal radial aspect of the palm. It arises from the median erve in the distal third of the forearm, courses superficially along the ulnar side of the flexor carpi radialis (FCR), and then enters a short tunnel in the flexor retinaculum. The nerve can easily be injured in wrist lacerations or iatrogenically from surgical incisions (Taleisnik, 1973). There have been rare reports of com-pression neuropathies involving this nerve (A1-Qatta