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Additional head of the rectus femoris muscle: a case report

  • Anatomic Variations
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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of the present case is to describe an interesting variation of the additional head of the rectus femoris.

Methods

A male body donor, 81 years old at death, was subjected to routine anatomical dissection for research and teaching purposes at the Department of Anatomical Dissection and Donation, Medical University of Lodz, Poland.

Results

We have found an example of an accessory head of the quadriceps femoris, a double-headed rectus femoris in which the proximal attachment is connected to the rectus femoris muscle originating from the anterior inferior iliac spine. The muscle belly of this additional structure is separate but fused distally with the vastus lateralis muscle. It then passes into the patellar ligament inserted into the tibial tuberosity.

Conclusions

Knowledge of the possible occurrence of an additional head is nevertheless important for clinicians, especially for orthopedists performing reconstructive surgeries. It could also be significant for physiotherapists arranging rehabilitation plans after such surgeries because it could potentially help to achieve faster recovery.

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Availability of data and materials

Please contact authors for data requests (Łukasz Olewnik, PhD—email address: lukasz.olewnik@umed.lodz.pl).

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Acknowledgements

The authors sincerely thank those who donated their bodies to science so that anatomical research could be performed. Results from such research can potentially increase mankind’s overall knowledge that can then improve patient care. Therefore, these donors and their families deserve our highest gratitude [15].

Funding

The authors have no financial or personal relationship with any third party whose interests could be influenced positively or negatively by the article’s content. This research received no specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomical Dissection and Donation, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland

    Nicol Zielinska, Adrian Balcerzak & Łukasz Olewnik

  2. Department of Anatomical Sciences, St. George’s University, True Blue, Grenada

    R. Shane Tubbs

  3. Department of Neurosurgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    R. Shane Tubbs

  4. Department of Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    R. Shane Tubbs

  5. Department of Structural and Cellular Biology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    R. Shane Tubbs

  6. Department of Surgery, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, LA, USA

    R. Shane Tubbs

  7. Department of Neurosurgery, Ochsner Medical Center, New Orleans, LA, USA

    R. Shane Tubbs

Authors
  1. Nicol Zielinska
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  2. Adrian Balcerzak
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  4. Łukasz Olewnik
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Łukasz Olewnik.

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Conflict of interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Ethical approval and consent to participate

The study protocol was accepted by the Bioethics Committee of the Medical University of Lodz. The cadavers were the property of the Department of Anatomical Dissection and Donation, Medical University of Lodz, and of the Donors and Dissecting Rooms Center, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. Informed consents were obtained from all participants before they died.

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Zielinska, N., Balcerzak, A., Tubbs, R.S. et al. Additional head of the rectus femoris muscle: a case report. Surg Radiol Anat 44, 829–834 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-022-02937-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-022-02937-4

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