European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

THE INCIDENCE OF THE ABSENCE OF PALMARIS LONGUS MUSCLE AMONG THE IJAWS OF BAYELSA EXTRACTION

Francis DAU*, Tabowei Luther and Atoni AD

ABSTRACT

Aim: This study aims to determine the prevalence of the absence of the Palmaris longus muscle and its association with gender among the Ijaws of Bayelsa State. Subjects and Methods: In the study, 300 subjects from Bayelsa state (162 females and 138 males) were randomly selected for physical examination of the Palmaris longus muscle. The anterior surface of the wrist was observed for the presence or absence of the Palmaris longus tendon following modified Schaeffer’s test. Result: Only in 2 (0.7%) of the subjects, absence of the Palmaris longus tendon was observed (1 unilateral – right forearm and 1 bilateral). All the remaining 298 (99.3%) subjects demonstrated the presence of the Palmaris longus tendon. Conclusion: Despite the frequent report of the high prevalence of the absence of the Palmaris longus muscle, Black African populations appear to have lower rates of the absence of the muscle. This was also shown by the current study which demonstrated a near absence of the agenesis of the muscle among the studied black population. Hence, the study concluded that the prevalence of the absence of the Palmaris longus muscle differs among the various countries.

Keywords: Palmaris longus, Absence, Prevalence, Bayelsa State.