Anatomical Study of the Arterial Arches of the Hand: Diameter and Presentation.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of the variations in arterial patterns of the superficial and deep palmar arches, as well as the determination of the luminal diameter in the arteries that form the arches and in some of their branches by means of light microscopy. A descriptive, cross-sectional study was done for which 25 embalmed cadavers hands were used. The procedure was done in 3 stages: 1) macroscopic dissection, 2) extraction of the arches and conservation, 3) histological technique and measurements. The superficial palmar arterial arch was complete in 14 (56%) of the samples and in 11 cases (44%) the arch was incomplete. The deep palmar arterial arch was complete in 20 (80%) of the samples and in 5 cases (20%) the arch was incomplete. The average diameter of the ulnar artery was 1.86 (σ=0.38) mm at the pisiform bone, for deep branche of ulnar was 0.97 (σ=0.20) mm. The presentation of the palmar arterial arches is very complex and varied, with at least one of the arches being always complete. The diameters of the arteries that contribute to form these arches have been studied very little and ample differences exist between the results found in the literature.