| Radial artery | |
|---|---|
 Palm of left hand, showing position of skin creases and bones, and surface markings for the volar arches. | |
 Ulnar and radial arteries. Deep view. | |
| Details | |
| Source | Brachial artery |
| Branches |
|
| Vein | Radial vein |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | arteria radialis |
| MeSH | D017534 |
| TA98 | A12.2.09.027 |
| TA2 | 4641 |
| FMA | 22730 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Inhuman anatomy, theradial artery is the mainartery of the lateral aspect of theforearm.
The radial artery arises from the bifurcation of thebrachial artery in theantecubital fossa. It runs distally on the anterior part of the forearm. There, it serves as a landmark for the division between theanterior andposterior compartments of the forearm, with the posterior compartment beginning just lateral to the artery. The artery winds laterally around thewrist, passing through theanatomical snuff box and between the heads of the firstdorsal interosseous muscle. It passes anteriorly between the heads of theadductor pollicis, and becomes thedeep palmar arch, which joins with the deep branch of theulnar artery.
Along its course, it is accompanied by a similarly namedvein, theradial vein.
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 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 thecephalic vein as accidental injection of this variant radial artery has been reported.[2] Identifying arterial pulsation in the anatomical snuff box is therefore recommended.
The radial artery lies superficially in front of the distal end of theradius, 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 theheart rate and cardiac rhythm). Presence ofradial pulse was thought to indicate a systolicblood 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 theanatomical snuff box.The radial artery is used forcoronary artery bypass grafting and is growing in popularity amongcardiac surgeons.[4] Recently, it has been shown to have a superior peri-operative and post-operative course when compared tosaphenous vein grafts.[5]
The radial artery is oftenpunctured in a common procedure to obtain anarterial blood gas. Such a procedure may first involve anAllen's test.
The radial artery is also used to evaluate thecollateral circulation of blood through the hands; applying pressure throughpalpating 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 anarterial line, such as for blood pressure monitoring in anintensive 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 asthrombosis.[9]
This article incorporates text in thepublic domain frompage 592 of the 20th edition ofGray's Anatomy(1918)
