Radial artery

The radial artery (a. Radialis) begins 1-3 cm distal to the cleft of the humerus and continues the direction of the brachial artery. Initially, the radial artery lies between the round pronator and the humerus muscle, and in the lower third of the forearm is covered only by fascia and skin, so it is easy to probe its pulsation. In the distal part of the forearm, the radial argeria, bypassing the styloid process of the radius, passes to the rear of the hand, and then penetrates the palm through the first interosseous interval. The end section of the radial artery is anastomosed with a deep palmar branch of the ulnar artery, forming a deep palmar (arterial) arch (arcus palmaris profundus). From this arch, palmar metacarpales palmares, blood supplying the interosseous muscles, begin. These arteries flow into the common palmar finger arteries (branches of the superficial palmar arch) and give off the perforating branches (rr.perforantes), anastomosing with the dorsal metacarpal arteries, extending from the rear wrist network.

From the radial artery on its length depart from 9 to II branches, including the muscle branches. The most significant of them are as follows;

1. the radial recurrent artery (a.recurrens radialis) departs from the initial section of the radial artery, is directed laterally and upwards, passes in the anterior lateral ulnar fissure, where it is anastomosed with the radial collateral artery;
2. the superficial palmar branch (r. Palmaris superficialis) departs from the radial artery at the level of the base of the styloid process of the radial bone, is directed to the palm of the hand over the surface of the muscles of the elevation of the thumb of the hand or perforates them. In the thickness of the muscles of the elevation of the thumb or inside of his short flexor is involved in the formation of a superficial palmar arc:
3. The palmar carpal branch (r. Carpalis palmaris) starts from the radial artery in the distal part of the forearm, at the level of the lower edge of the square pronator. Then this branch leaves medially, where it is anastomosed with the eponymous branch of the ulnar artery and participates in the formation of the palmar cord network;
4. the dorsal carpal branch (r. Carpalis dorsalis) starts from the radial artery at the rear of the hand, is guided medially, anastomoses with the eponymous branch of the ulnar artery, forming a rear wrist network (rete sarrale dorsale) along with the branches of the interosseous arteries. From this network, 3-4 dorsal metacarpales dorsales (aa., Metacarpales dorsales), and from each of them - two rear finger arteries (aa. Digitales dorsales), supplying the backside of the II-V fingers;
5. on the rear of the hand from the radial artery, in the place where it enters the thickness of the first interosseous muscle, the first dorsal metacarpalis dorsalis prima separates , which gives branches to the radial side of the finger and to the adjacent sides of the first and second fingers;
6. penetrating the palm, the radial artery gives the artery of the thumb of the hand (a.princeps pollicis), which splits into two palmar finger arteries to both sides of the thumb and gives the radial artery of the index finger (a.radialis indicis).

[1], [2], [3], [4]