Anatomical Variation of the Palmaris Longus Muscle Among Undergraduate Students at Bayero University Kano

The palmaris longus is a forearm flexor muscle that is absent in a substantial proportion of the general population, with absence rates reported to range between 5 and 24 percent across different ethnic groups. Despite being functionally insignificant, the palmaris longus tendon is widely used as a graft in reconstructive surgery of the hand and wrist. Knowledge of its prevalence in a given population is therefore essential for surgical planning. This study aims to determine the prevalence of palmaris longus muscle absence and document morphological variations among undergraduate students at Bayero University Kano, North West Nigeria. Using the standard wrist flexion and Schaeffer tests, the presence or absence of the palmaris longus will be assessed bilaterally in consenting participants. The relationship between absence, laterality, and sex will be statistically analysed. Additional observations regarding accessory muscles and tendon duplications will be recorded. The expected outcome is a prevalence estimate of palmaris longus absence applicable to hand surgeons and anatomists in northern Nigeria, contributing to the growing body of population-specific data on this clinically relevant variant.

Keywords: palmaris longus, muscle absence, morphological variation, Kano, hand surgery