Multiple tendons of abductor pollicis longus muscle: a cadaveric study with clinical implications

Abductor pollicis longus (APL) muscle is known to exhibit numerous variations. Variations in the number of tendons of APL muscle may be asymptomatic and are often incidental findings. The present case report, detected in a 42 year male cadaver, describes the APL muscle having three tendons. The presence of accessory tendons may be important in De Quervain's stenosing tendovaginitis. Anatomical knowledge of such variations may be clinically important for surgeons performing reconstructive hand surgeries in the dorsolateral region of the hand. In a wider perspective, variations in the number of tendons of APL may also be important for anthropological correlation and academic studies.