RESUMO
Introduction: Since the lack of Palmaris Longus Muscle (PLM) has no effect on hand and wrist function, it is considered a non-essential muscle. However, its clinical relevance stems from its widespread application in reconstructive and hand surgery. In addition to gender differences, some sources assert that its absence is more prevalent in those genders who lack it in some way, that it is more prevalent when both eyes are missing, and that it is more prevalent when just one eye is present. Aim: The primary objective of this research was to find out how common PLM agenesis is among students of both genders. The secondary objective was to demonstrate that a classical test (Schaffer’s test) can be reliably compared to other tests such as Thompson’s test, Mishra’s test, AIIM’s test, and the Hiz-Ediz test. Materials and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study carried out at the MAHSA University; A total of 224 cases, comprised of 126 (56.3%) females and 98 (43.8%) males. Each participant was requested to perform five clinical tests namely, Schaeffer’s test, Thompson’s test, Mishra’s test, AIIM’s test, and the Hiz-Ediz test. Results: The frequent agenesis of the palmaris longus in the right forearm of our study with the Schaeffer’s test was (20.5%) and Thompson’s and Hiz-Ediz tests had equal percentages of agenesis (22.3%) while Mishra’s test (22.8%), and AIIMs test (29.5%) of the participants. Moreover, Thompson’s test had the highest percentage of (70.5%) compared to other tests for detecting the presence of PLM in the left forearm. The second nearest test for PLM detection was Schaeffer’s test with a percentage of (67.4%). AIIMs test was able to detect PLM in (64.3%) of the participants and Mishra’s test and Hiz-Ediz tests had close percentages of (59.4%) and (57.6%) respectively for PLM detection. Conclusion: It can be concluded that Thompson’s test had a higher percentage among the tests to detect the presence of the PLM tendon in females while Schaeffer’s test was more significant in males. Thompson’s test had the best accuracy level and the highest percentage level of agreement with Schaeffer’s test compared to the other tests.