THE RELATION OF BIFURCATION OF RADIAL NERVE TO LATERAL EPICONDYLE OF HUMERUS – A MORPHOLOGICAL AND MORPHOMETRIC STUDY.

Introduction: Radial nerve is one of the major nerves in the upper extremity which is often involved in nerve damage. Knowledge on the variations of this nerve and its relation to nearby structures during its course help to prevent iatrogenic injuries in clinical practice. To nd out the level of bifurcation of radial Objective: nerve into supercial and deep branches with respect to lateral epicondyle of humerus. Conducted a cross-sectional study on 74 cadaveric upper limbs in D Methods: epartment of Anatomy, Government Medical College, Kozhikode. Radial nerve was traced from mid arm to its bifurcation into supercial branch of radial nerve and deep branch of radial nerve. The division of radial nerve into supercial and deep branches was below the level of Result: lateral epicondyle in 63 specimens (85.14%), above the lateral epicondyle in 8 specimens (10.81%), and at the level of lateral epicondyle in 3 specimens (4.05%).Radial nerve divided into supercial and deep branches at a distance of 0.92±0.74 cm distal to the lateral epicondyle. The Lesions of the radial Conclusion: nerve can present with signicant functional limitations that negatively affect the quality of life of the person. The ndings of this study would help the clinicians in the diagnosis of radial nerve pathology and thus the execution of safe surgical procedures.