Median Artery

A significant median artery (comes nervi mediani) may persist in the adult (8%). The main supply of the hand in the embryo is the median artery. This is followed, in development, by the anterior interosseous, which is finally replaced by the ulnar and radial arteries as the principal blood supply of the hand.

Either the the anterior interosseous or the median may enter into the formation of the superficial palmar arch if the ulnar is deficient or absent.

In one study, a median artery entered the hand through the carpal tunnel: bilaterally in four and unilaterally in three cases (66 bodies, 132 hand dissections). In five cases, median arteries participated in the superficial palmar arch, either by joining the radial (three cases) or the ulnar (two cases). In six cases, there was no palmar arch and the median artery supplied the fingers directly. The median frequently arises from the common interosseous or the anteror interosseous arteries.

In some cases the median artery runs a superficial course through the forearm.

The median artery may terminate in the radial artery. High Origin (HO) of the Arteries of the Forearm Median Artery

Number of Observations

HO Total

Origin 1) 380 0 2) 270 12

Axillary 4

Brachial 8 3) 136 4

Axillary 2

Brachial 2

1) Statistics by Giacomini. 2) Statistics by authors cited by Giacomini. 3) Statistics by Dubreuil-Chambardel.

Riferimenti dell’opera originale

Elenco riportato come compare nella fonte, senza normalizzazione dei formati bibliografici.

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