Medial antebrachial cutaneous nerve
Nervus cutaneus medialis antebrachii
- Latin synonym: Nervus cutaneus antebrachii medialis
- Synonym: Medial cutaneous nerve of forearm
- Related terms: Medial cutaneous nerve of forearm
Definition
The Medial Brachial Cutaneous Nerve (n. cutaneus brachii medialis; lesser internal cutaneous nerve; nerve of Wrisberg) is distributed to the skin on the ulnar side of the arm.
It is the smallest branch of the brachial plexus, and arising from the medial cord receives its fibers from the eighth cervical and first thoracic nerves.
It passes through the axilla, at first lying behind, and then medial to the axillary vein, and communicates with the intercostobrachial nerve.
It descends along the medial side of the brachial artery to the middle of the arm, where it pierces the deep fascia, and is distributed to the skin of the back of the lower third of the arm, extending as far as the elbow, where some filaments are lost in the skin in front of the medial epicondyle, and others over the olecranon.
It communicates with the ulnar branch of the medial antibrachial cutaneous nerve.
In some cases the medial brachial cutaneous and intercostobrachial are connected by two or three filaments, which form a plexus in the axilla. In other cases the intercostobrachial is of large size, and takes the place of the medial brachial cutaneous, receiving merely a filament of communication from the brachial plexus, which represents the latter nerve; in a few cases, this filament is wanting.
