To investigate the ultrasonic diagnostic characteristics of persistent median artery and median nerve double branch variation.

Retrospective analysis of the clinical and ultrasound image characteristics of 7 patients with persistent median artery and median nerve double branch variation treated at Ultrasound Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2022 was performed. Three of them were found surgically. The ultrasonic diagnostic characteristics of the persistent median artery and median nerve double branch variation were summarized.

The majority of the 7 patients′ clinical complaints were forearm or wrist pain and discomfort, frequently accompanied with radial finger numbness. The ultrasonic diagnostic characteristics were as follows: the forearm showed abnormal pulsating tubular anecho, accompanied by the median nerve, the median nerve changed into two bundles of hypoecho, and there was an independent hyperechoic outer nerve membrane, both of which entered the carpal tunnel in parallel, and the median nerve entrapment can be seen in the carpal tunnel, and the anteroposterior diameter of the compression site was 1.6 mm-1.9 mm, and the proximal middle nerve was swollen and enlarged, and the anteroposterior diameter increased to 2.8 mm-3.5 mm. Surgery on 3 patients revealed different degrees of median nerve entrapment in the carpal tunnel and confirmed that the median nerve had swollen during the procedure. The forearm segment was split into two branches that entered the carpal tunnel with the permanent median artery.

Ultrasound examination of the persistent median artery and double branches of the median nerve has clear diagnostic characteristics, which has important guiding significance for clinical diagnosis.