The medial antebrachial cutaneous (MABC) nerve is a viable donor for nerve grafts and our institution’s preferred donor nerve graft for upper extremity nerve reconstructions. The MABC nerve is harvested from the medial aspect of the arm and is found branching distally into an anterior and posterior branch. The anterior and/or posterior branch can be harvested depending on the length and diameter required for nerve reconstruction. After harvesting the MABC nerve, the distal end of the MABC nerve is end-to-side transferred to an adjacent functional sensory nerve through an epineural window. in this case, the anterior branch of the MABC nerve is harvested for graft material and the anterior branch is end-to-side transferred to the posterior branch of the MABC nerve.
Standard:
Extended:
POSITION
Supine.
INCISION
An incision on the medial aspect of the arm.
REFERENCES
- Ray WZ, Mackinnon SE. Management of nerve gaps: autografts, allografts, nerve transfers, and end-to-side neurorrhaphy. Exp Neurol. 2010 May;223(1):77-85. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2009.03.031. Review. PMID: 19348799.
- Weber RV, Mackinnon SE. Bridging the neural gap. Clin Plast Surg. 2005 Oct;32(4):605-16, viii. Review. PMID: 16139631.
Disclosure: No authors have a financial interest in any of the products, devices, or drugs mentioned in this production or publication.