Innervation of the abductor digiti minimi muscle of the human foot: anatomical basis of the entrapment of the abductor digiti minimi nerve.

The origin, relationships and innervation of the abductor digiti minimi muscle were determined in 145 human feet, from formaldehyde-fixed cadavers. The muscle arises from both processes of the calcaneal tuberosity, from the plantar aponeurosis and from the septum which separates it from the flexor digitorum brevis muscle. The nerve to the abductor digiti minimi muscle arises next to the origin of the lateral plantar nerve, close to the abductor hallucis muscle, and descends becoming closely related to the medial face of the calcaneus and the deep face of the abductor hallucis muscle.

The deep plantar arch in humans: constitution and topography.

The integrity of the various structures within the feet depends on their blood supply. Lesions of the feet often require revascularization, which if successful avoids the need for amputation. To provide greater anatomical detail to aid vascular surgery and imaging, the anatomy and constitution of the deep plantar arch was studied in 50 adult cadaveric feet.

Biometric study of the relationships between palmar neurovascular structures, the flexor retinaculum and the distal wrist crease.

During surgical exposure of the carpal tunnel it is possible to injure the neurovascular structures closely related to the flexor retinaculum, such as the superficial palmar arch and the communicating branch between the ulnar and median nerves. Because of the importance of these structures and with the purpose of increasing knowledge of anatomical details concerning to their location, a biometric study was performed on the retinaculum and the communicating branch, and between the communicating branch and the distal wrist crease, as well as between the retinaculum and the superficial palmar arch. We dissected 56 hands from 28 Brazilian formalin-preserved cadavers of both sexes (24 male) at the Federal University of São Paulo-Escola Paulista de Medicina, Brazil.

Perforating branches: important contribution to the formation of the dorsal metacarpal arteries.

The perforating branches that originate from the deep palmar arch of the hand have been studied to provide a complete anatomical description of these vessels and assess their importance in the blood collateral pathway of the hand. We injected latex into the arteries of 50 cadaveric hands of 25 adults, of both sexes, all of Brazilian origin. These were dissected under a stereoscopic microscope.

Abnormal course of the superficial palmar branch of the radial artery.

The structures in the carpal tunnel are the flexor muscle tendons and their sheaths and the median n. Due to the inflexibility of its walls, any swelling of its contents that produces decrease of its volume, may compress the median n. There are many possible causes of nerve compression, such as the presence of arteries in this tunnel [3, 13].

[Developing countries. Health education in the primary prevention of alcoholism].

In most developing countries alcoholism hampers economic development in the same way as illiteracy or disease. Several studies reveal the extent of the problem in Latin America where the consumption of alcoholic beverages is rooted in national traditions. In Chile, the population includes 5% of alcoholics and 15% of people who drink excessively.