Tortuosity of forearm arteries in adult Indian cadavers

Abstract

Radial arteries are increasingly being used now a days for percutaneous coronary intervention, however this procedure encounters a high failure rate due to radial artery variations especially its tortuosity. Although clinical cases of syndromes like Guyon’s canal syndrome and arm vibration syndrome have been ascribed to the tortuosity of ulnar artery but a systematic study on ulnar artery tortuosity is wanting. The present study was conducted in Sixty one embalmed upper limbs, to report the tortuous character in different segments of forearm arteries. The radial artery was found to be tortuous in about 12 per cent of the limbs. This tortuous character was more pronounced on the bony bed of the radial artery near the wrist joint. The ulnar artery was found to be tortuous in about 23% of the limbs, proximal and distal to the Guyon’s canal and in 16% limbs within and adjoining the canal. In the present study it was observed that the superficial segment, the segments which are subject to traction and terminal parts of the arteries are more tortuous. This may be a response to- a) regulate the pressure and b) a result of reduced elastic tissue in the vessel wall.