Does the motor branch of the long head of the triceps brachii arise from the radial nerve?
Anatomy textbooks say that the motor branch of the long head of the triceps brachii (LHT) arises from the radial nerve. Some clinical observations of traumatic injuries of the axillary nerve with associated paralysis of the LHT have suggested that the motor branch of the LHT may arise from the axillary nerve. This anatomic study was performed, using both cadaver anatomical dissections and a surgical study, to determine the exact origin of the motor branch of the LHT. From the adult cadaver specimens (group I), 20 posterior cords were dissected from 10 subjects (eight embalmed, two fresh) using 3.5x magnification. The axillary nerve was followed from its onset to the posteromedial part of the surgical neck of the humerus and the radial nerve. We looked for the origin of the proximal branch of the LHT by a meticulous double anterior and posterior dissection. From the surgical group (group II), 15 posterior cords were dissected from 15 patients suffering from a C5-C6 injured paralysis, wi
