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KMID : 0361820090280030179
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Journal of the Korean Society of Medical Ultrasound
2009 Volume.28 No. 3 p.179 ~ p.183
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The Ultrasonographic Findings of Bifid Median Nerve
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Park Hee-Jin
Park Noh-Hyuck
Joh Joon-Hee
Lee Sung-Moon
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Abstract
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Purpose: We wanted to evaluate the ultrasonographic findings of bifid median nerve and its clinical significance.
Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed five cases (three men and two women, mean age: 54 years) of incidentally found bifid median nerve from 264 cases of clinically suspected carpal-tunnel syndrome that were seen at our hospital during last 6 years. Doppler sonography was performed in all five cases and MR angiography was done in one case for detecting a persistent median artery. The difference (ΔCSA) between the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bifid median nerve at the pisiform level (CSA2) and the cross-sectional area proximal to the bifurcation(CSA1) was calculated.
Results: The incidence of a bifid median nerve was 1.9%. All the patients presented with a tingling sensation on a hand and two patients had nocturnal pain. All the cases showed bifurcation of the nerve bundle proximal to the carpal tunnel. The margins appeared relatively smooth and each bundle showed a characteristic fascicular pattern. A persistent median artery was noted between the bundles in four cases. ΔCSA was more than 2 mm2 in four cases.
Conclusions: Bifid median nerve with a persistent median artery is a relatively rare normal variance and these are very important findings before performing surgical intervention to avoid potential nerve injury and massive bleeding. We highly suggest that radiologists should understand the anatomical characteristics of this anomaly and make efforts to detect it.
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KEYWORD
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Ultrasound (US), Median nerve, Bifid, Persistent median artery, Carpal tunnel syndrome
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