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The Prevalence of Absence of the Palmaris Longus – A Study in a Chinese Population and a Review of the LiteratureFrom the Department of Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgery, Level III, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore Correspondence: Mr Aymeric Lim, FRCS (Glas.), Chief, Department of Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgery, Level III, Main Building, National University Hospital, 5 Lower Kent Ridge Road, Singapore 119074, Singapore. Tel.: +65 6772 5549/5449; fax: +65 6773 2558. E-mail: aymericlim{at}nuh.com.sg Most standard textbooks of hand surgery quote the prevalence of absence of palmaris longus at around 15%. However, this figure varies considerably in reports from different ethnic groups. We studied 329 Chinese men and women and found palmaris longus to be absent unilaterally in 3.3%, and bilaterally in 1.2%, with an overall prevalence of absence of 4.6%. There was no significant difference in its absence with regard to the body side or the sex. Our literature review revealed a low prevalence of absence in Asian, Black and Native American populations and a much higher prevalence of absence in Caucasian populations. It is clear that a standard prevalence of absence of the palmaris longus cannot be applied to all populations.
Key Words: ethnic variations • palmaris longus • tendon anomalies
Journal of Hand Surgery (British and European Volume), Vol. 30, No. 5,
525-527 (2005) This article has been cited by other articles:
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