Korean J Phys Anthropol.  2013 Sep;26(3):97-100. 10.11637/kjpa.2013.26.3.97.

The Third Head of Biceps Brachii Muscle in Korean: Anatomical Study

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Konyang University of Korea, Korea. leejehun@konyang.ac.kr

Abstract

The goal of this study was to investigate the incidence of third head of biceps brachii (THBB) for understanding unexpected cases in clinical practice. The sample consisted of 214 upper extremities from 107 adult cadavers donated to science (70 males and 37 females; age, 51-87 years). Cases with pathological changes or trauma to the upper limbs were excluded. THBB was found in 14 of the 214 upper extremities. The incidence of variation was approximately 6.5%. THBB was found in 10 male limbs and 4 female limbs, and none of the cases was bilateral. THBB was a flat muscular belly-like structure that originated from the anteromedial surface of the humerus between the insertion of the coracobrachialis and the origin of the brachialis. This finding may be clinically important because the musculocutaneous nerve is subjected to compression by the bulky third head.

Keyword

Third head; Biceps brachii; Musculocutaneous nerve; Anatomy

MeSH Terms

Adult
Cadaver
Extremities
Female
Head
Humans
Humerus
Incidence
Male
Muscles
Musculocutaneous Nerve
Upper Extremity

Figure

  • Fig. 1. The third head of the biceps brachii. The distal part of the biceps brachii is detached from the bone to show the third head. LHBB: long head of biceps brachii, SHBB: short head of biceps brachii, THBB: third head of biceps brachii, CB: coracobrachialis muscle, BA: brachialis muscle, MCN: musculocutaneous nerve, MN: median nerve.


Reference

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