Multiple tendons of abductor pollicis longus

Anatomic variations of the tendons of the abductor pollicis longus (APL) and its knowledge is important to assess the diseased and traumatized hand and when considering tendons for repair or graft. During routine dissection of a 63-year-old male cadaver, in the Department of Anatomy, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Karnataka, India we came across an unusual APL in the right upper limb. The muscle had altogether 9 tendons and they were inserted to the lateral and anterolateral sides of the base of the 1st metacarpal bone, opponens pollicis (two tendons each), the abductor pollicis brevis, trapezium and thenar fascia (one tendon each). The number of accessory tendons of APL has functional significance in the development of de Quervain’s syndrome.