Radial artery
Radial artery | |
---|---|
Details | |
Source | Brachial artery |
Branches |
|
Radial vein | |
Identifiers | |
Latin | arteria radialis |
MeSH | D017534 |
TA98 | A12.2.09.027 |
TA2 | 4641 |
FMA | 22730 |
Anatomical terminology] |
In
.Structure
The radial artery arises from the bifurcation of the
Along its course, it is accompanied by a similarly named
Branches
The named branches of the radial artery may be divided into three groups, corresponding with the three regions in which the vessel is situated.
In the forearm
- Radial recurrent artery - arises just after the radial artery comes off the brachial artery. It travels superiorly to anastomose with the radial collateral artery around the elbow joint
- Palmar carpal branch of radial artery - a small vessel which arises near the lower border of the pronator quadratus
- Superficial palmar branch of the radial artery- arises from the radial artery, just where this vessel is about to wind around the lateral side of the wrist.
At the wrist
- Dorsal carpal branch of radial artery- a small vessel which arises beneath the extensor tendons of the thumb
- First dorsal metacarpal artery - arises just before the radial artery passes between the two heads of the first dorsal interosseous muscle and divides almost immediately into two branches which supply the adjacent sides of the thumb and index finger; the lateral side of the thumb receives a branch directly from the radial artery.
In the hand
- Princeps pollicis artery - arises from the radial artery just as it turns medially to the deep part of the hand.
- Radialis indicis- arises close to the princeps pollicis. The two arteries may arise from a common trunk, the first palmar metacarpal artery.
- Deep palmar arch - terminal part of radial artery.
Variations
In less than 1% of the population, the radial artery takes a superficial course in the anatomical snuff box.[1] This arterial variation can be mistaken for the cephalic vein as accidental injection of this variant radial artery has been reported.[2] Identifying arterial pulsation in the anatomical snuff box is therefore recommended.
Clinical significance
The radial artery lies superficially in front of the distal end of the radius, between the tendons of the brachioradialis and flexor carpi radialis; it is here that clinician takes the radial pulse. (where it is commonly used to assess the heart rate and cardiac rhythm). Presence of radial pulse was thought to indicate a systolic blood pressure of at least 70 mmHg, as estimated from the 50% percentile, although this was found to generally be an overestimation of a patient's true blood pressure.[3] The radial artery can be less easily felt as it crosses the
The radial artery is often
The radial artery is also used to evaluate the collateral circulation of blood through the hands; applying pressure through palpating the palmar arches results in paleness over the area being compressed; adequate collateral circulation can be ascertained by how quickly normal colour returns after the pressure is removed.[6]
The radial artery is a common site for the insertion of an arterial line, such as for blood pressure monitoring in an intensive care unit. It is also commonly used for cerebral angiograms for the treatment of cerebral pathologies, such as strokes,[7] cerebral aneurysms [8] It is selected because it is accessible, and because of the low incidence of complications such as thrombosis.[9]
Additional images
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Cross-section through the middle of the forearm.
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The radial and ulnar arteries.
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Front of right upper extremity, showing surface markings for bones, arteries, and nerves.
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Radial artery and vein
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Radial artery in the anatomical snuffbox
References
This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 592 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)
External links
- Image at umich.edu – pulse
- Radial artery puncture – medicalstudents.com
- lesson4artofforearm at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University)