OBJETIVE: The authors performed an anatomic study of the trajectory of the muscle cutaneous nerve, dissecting 20 shoulders in 10 fresh adult corpses. METHOD: The distance was measured from the inferior edge of the coracoid process to the point of penetration of the nearest branch of the cutaneous nerve muscle of the coracobrachialis muscle, called base. Starting at the inferior-medial edge of the coracoid process, a second measurement was made to the point at which the lateral fascicle of the brachial plexus crosses the subclavius muscle, denominated height. The third measurement was of the triangular area formed by the two first measurements, denominated area. RESULTS: The average base length was 3.42 cm, varying from 2.38 cm to 4.40 cm. The height measurement was 2.74 cm, on average, varying between 1.03 cm and 3.80 cm. And the average area was 4.92 cm², varying between 1.22 cm² and 7.99 cm². CONCLUSION: These measurements are very important due to the risk of injury in the cutaneous nerve muscle in surgeries performed on the shoulder.
Musculocutaneous nerve; Musculocutaneous nerve; Shoulder
