Absence of the palmaris longus muscle: a population study

We examined 300 Caucasian subjects (150 males, 150 females) aged 18-40 years to assess the incidence of palmaris longus absence. The presence or absence of palmaris longus was assessed by clinical inspection. Forty-nine subjects had unilateral absence of palmaris longus (16%). The tendon was absent bilaterally in 26 subjects (9%). Unilateral and bilateral absence was more common in males, however this was not statistically significant (p = 0.25 and 0.56 respectively). In those subjects with unilateral absence, the right side was found to be more commonly affected however no statistical significance was evident (p = 0.25).