This upper limb specimen displays the vascular, nervous and muscular anatomy of a left distal arm, forearm and hand.
In the distal arm and elbow/cubital fossa region we can see the arrangement of the biceps tendon, brachial artery and median nerve from lateral to medial. The bicipital aponeurosis has been divided to reveal the structures deep to it. The ulnar nerve can be seen passing behind the medial epicondyle with an ulnar collateral artery close by. The superficial branch of the radial nerve can just be seen in the space between brachioradialis and brachialis muscles.
In the forearm, the superficial flexor muscles arising from the common flexor origin can be clearly seen. There is not a palmaris longus muscle in this cadaver. The radial artery and superficial branch of the radial nerve are clearly identifiable. The ulnar artery can be seen in the distal forearm emerging from beneath flexor carpi ulnaris muscle.
On the posterior aspect of the forearm the extensor muscles arising from the common extensor origin are clearly identifiable. The anatomical snuffbox is displayed with the radial artery in its floor (surrounded by fat) and the cutaneous branch of the radial nerve in its roof. The extensor retinaculum is clearly visible on the dorsum of the wrist and distal to it the tendons of extensor indicis and extensor carpi radialis brevis and longus can be seen inserting into the 2nd and 3rd metacarpals.
In the hand, the superficial dissection reveals muscles of the thenar and hypothenar eminences, the flexor retinaculum of the hand, the long tendons of the hand, the lumbricals, and the superficial palmar arch arising from the ulnar artery along with the superficial branch of the ulnar nerve. Digital arteries and nerves can be clearly seen further distally in the palm entering the digits. Note in particular the small recurrent branch of the median nerve crossing over the flexor pollicis brevis close to its origin from the retinaculum. The extensor expansion is dissected on the middle finger.
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