PMC2772267_01
Ventral aspect of the left upper limb (a) CIA - Common interosseous artery; ME - medial epicondyle; MN - median nerve; PLT - palmaris longus tendon; RA - radial artery; UA - ulnar artery. Note the PLT is crossing over the UA (b) AIA - Anterior interosseous artery; CIA - Common interosseous artery; MA - Median artery; ME - Medial epicondyle; MN - Median nerve; RA - Radial artery; SB - Superficial brachial; UA - Ulnar artery (c) MA - Median artery; MN - Median nerve; RA - Radial artery; SPA - Superficial palmar arch; UA - Ulnar artery
IJPS-42-112-g001.jpg
PMC2772267_01_IJPS-42-112-g001.jpg
F0001
The brachial artery presented as the continuation of the axillary artery and was found to give a common interosseous branch at about 10.5 cm above the intercondylar line [Figure 1b]. Thereafter the superficial brachial artery (SBA) which ran superficial to the muscles of the arm went on to divide into superficial radial (SR) and superficial ulnar (SU) arteries, 7 cm above the intercondylar line [Figure 1b]. Both these branches ran superficial to the forearm flexors except the palmaris longus (PL), which was crossing the SU artery [Figure 1a]. The SU artery crossed the median nerve superficial to it from the lateral to the medial side and terminated by forming the superficial palmar arch (SPA), which was completed by the median artery to form an arch of medio-ulnar type [Figure 1c]. The artery then ran deep to the pronator teres and trifurcated at the level of the neck of the radius into the median artery, anterior interosseous artery and the posterior interosseous artery [Figure 1b]. The median artery then ran along with the median nerve and crossed it in the distal part of the forearm to enter the palm below the flexor retinaculum and went on to complete the SPA along with the SU artery [Figure 1c].