Vol 65, No 4 (2006)
Case report
Published online: 2006-09-18
An unusual course of the radial artery
Folia Morphol 2006;65(4):410-413.
Abstract
Radial artery variations are of importance for clinicians, whether in angiographic
examinations or surgical approaches. The high origin radial artery is the most
frequent arterial variation observed in the upper limb, showing an incidence of
14.27% in dissection material and 9.75% in angiographic examination. In the
present study an unusual course of the radial artery and its relation with the
median nerve has been evaluated. During embryological development the radial
artery sprouts from two arterial buds arising from the lateral side of the brachial
artery and coalescing with each other. The artery lies in the forearm and is overlapped
by the brachioradial muscle. In this particular case the radial artery originated
from the medial side of the brachial artery and crossed the median nerve
twice in an unusual manner 8 cm below the point at which the deep brachial
artery arose and 12 cm above the intercondylar line. These results will enhance
anatomical knowledge of the region and reduce complication in surgical approaches.
Keywords: radial arteryembryologicalmedian nervevariationflap surgeryneuropathy
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