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Anatomy Atlases: Illustrated Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation: Opus III: Nervous System: Variations in Connections Between Lumbar and Sacral Plexuses.

Illustrated Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation: Opus III: Nervous System

Variations of Connections Between Lumbar and Sacral Plexuses.

Ronald A. Bergman, PhD
Adel K. Afifi, MD, MS
Ryosuke Miyauchi, MD

Peer Review Status: Internally Peer Reviewed


The connections between the lumbar and the sacral plexus were examined bilaterally in 122 subjects. In 91.8% of subjects the plexuses were joined, by a single nervus furcalis and in 0.8% by a doubled nervus furcalis. The single furcal nerve was formed by the abdominal nerve L4 in 80% and L5 in 7.7% of cases. The doubled furcal nerve arose from L3 and L4 in 0.4% of cases and from L4 and L5 in 0.4%. Usually, the major part of the furcal nerve arising from L4 went to the lumbar plexus, and from L5 to the sacral plexus. In 7.4% of cases no connection between the plexuses could be found.

Authors' note: Urbanowiez considers illustrations A through E be type I variations, F through J to be type II, K to be type III, and L to be type IV

L3 to L5, respective lumbar nerves; fem, femoral nerve; ob, obturator nerve.

Redrawn from Urbanowicz, Z. Connections between the lumbar and the sacral plexus in man. Folis Morphol. 40:271-279, 1981.

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