Morphological and morphometric analysis of Psoas Minor Muscle in cadavers

ABSTRACT

The Psoas Minor Muscle is considered inconstant and it’s often absent. This muscle consists of a short proximal fixation tendon originated from the sides of the twelfth thoracic vertebra, first lumbar vertebra and corresponding intervertebral disc, continuous with a short spindle-shaped morphology muscular venter, ending with a long distal fixation tendon inserted in the pectineal line of the pubis and iliopectineal eminence. Due to the lack of information in liteature regarding Psoas Minor muscle’s morphology and morphometry, this study aimed to obtain more detailed information about the muscle in order to expand knowledge of its morphology and morphometry. In order to perform this study, it was used as work material 30 cadaver parts of lower limbs belonging to the anatomical specimens’ collection of Federal Rural University of Pernambuco and Federal University of Pernmabuco. It was found in this study, an absence percentage of Psoas Minor Muscle around 73%. The muscles analyzed did not show any anatomical variation and presented as morphometric characteristics a proximal tendon with average length of 18.11 mm, a muscular venter with average of 71.25 mm for your lenght and a lenght for a distal tendon with average of 150.97 mm. This study confirms the literature’s descriptions, demonstrating the inconstancy of Psoas Minor Muscle and, in our results, it did not show any morphological changes related to its proximal or distal fixation, and to its muscular venter. However, our results showed unpublished data related to width and thickness of the muscle venter of the Psoas Minor.