Radial artery
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Tommy Brennan had no recorded disclosures.
View Tommy Brennan's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Yoshi Yu had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Yoshi Yu's current disclosuresThe radial artery is a terminal branch of the brachial artery and arises at the cubital fossa of the forearm. It is one of the two main arteries of the forearm, along with the ulnar artery.
Summary
origin: terminal branch of the brachial artery
location: inferior aspect of the cubital fossa
supply: elbow joint, lateral forearm muscles, radial nerve, carpal bones and joints, thumb, and lateral side of the index finger
main branches: radial recurrent artery, palmar carpal branch, dorsal carpal branch, and muscular branches
Gross anatomy
Origin
The radial artery originates at the cubital fossa as one of the two terminal branches of the brachial artery 1.
Course
The radial artery runs along the radial aspect of the anterior compartment of the forearm under the brachioradialis, lateral to the flexor carpi radialis tendon. For the distal section of its course, the radial artery lies on the surface of the radius.
The radial artery leaves the anterior compartment of the forearm by passing laterally around the wrist before proceeding along the floor of the anatomical snuff box, passing dorsally around the scaphoid and trapezium 1,2. At the carpal region of the hand, the radial artery forms the deep palmar arch of the hand and anastomoses with the ulnar artery 1.
Branches
The branches of the radial artery in the forearm include the 1:
palmar carpal branch
dorsal carpal branch
muscular branches
In the hand, the branches are the:
Termination
The radial artery terminates in the hand as it passes between the oblique and transverse heads of the adductor pollicis muscle to form the deep palmar arch, which anastomoses with the ulnar artery 1,3.
Supply
The radial artery provides blood supply to the elbow joint, lateral forearm muscles, radial nerve, carpal bones and joints, thumb, and lateral side of the index finger 2.
References
-
1. Keith L. Moore, Arthur F. Dalley, A. M. R. Agur. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. ISBN: 9781451119459
- 2. Susan Standring. Gray's Anatomy. ISBN: 9780702052309
- 3. Robert M H McMinn. Last's Anatomy - Revised Edition. (2019) ISBN: 9780729588218 - Google Books
Incoming Links
- Modified Allen test
- Wrist
- Point-of-care ultrasound (curriculum)
- Arterial anastomosis of the elbow
- Anterior compartment of the forearm
- Radial vein
- Radial collateral artery
- Radial recurrent artery
- Anatomical snuff box
- Brachial artery
- Radialis indicis artery
- Elbow
- Palmar carpal branches
- Lateral cutaneous nerve of the forearm
- Superficial palmar branch of the radial artery
- Radiocarpal joint
- Haemodialysis upper limb arteriovenous fistula
- Trapezium
- Ganglion cysts of the hand and wrist
- Hamate
- Median nerve injury
- Flexor carpi radialis tendon laceration
- Retained arterial wire
- Forearm deep arterial anatomy (Gray's illustration)
- Cubital fossa (diagram)
- Anterior forearm deep anatomy (Gray's illustration)
- Arteries of the elbow (Gray's illustration)
- Foreign body - forearm
- Flexor carpi radialis tenosynovitis
- Foreign body - forearm
Related articles: Anatomy: Upper limb
-
skeleton of the upper limb
- clavicle
- scapula
- humerus
- radius
- ulna
- hand
- accessory ossicles of the upper limb
- accessory ossicles of the shoulder
- accessory ossicles of the elbow
-
accessory ossicles of the wrist (mnemonic)
- os centrale carpi
- os epilunate
- os epitriquetrum
- os styloideum
- os hamuli proprium
- lunula
- os triangulare
- trapezium secondarium
- os paratrapezium
- os radiostyloideum (persistent radial styloid)
- joints of the upper limb
-
pectoral girdle
-
shoulder joint
- articulations
- associated structures
- joint capsule
- bursae
- ligaments
- movements
- scapulothoracic joint
-
glenohumeral joint
- arm flexion
- arm extension
- arm abduction
- arm adduction
- arm internal rotation (medial rotation)
- arm external rotation (lateral rotation)
- circumduction
- arterial supply - scapular anastomosis
- ossification centers
-
shoulder joint
-
elbow joint
- proximal radioulnar joint
- ligaments
- associated structures
- movements
- alignment
- arterial supply - elbow anastomosis
- development
-
wrist joint
- articulations
-
ligaments
- intrinsic ligaments
- extrinsic ligaments
- radioscaphoid ligament
- dorsal intercarpal ligament
- dorsal radiotriquetral ligament
- dorsal radioulnar ligament
- volar radioulnar ligament
- radioscaphocapitate ligament
- long radiolunate ligament
- Vickers ligament
- short radiolunate ligament
- ulnolunate ligament
- ulnotriquetral ligament
- ulnocapitate ligament
- ulnar collateral ligament
- associated structures
- extensor retinaculum
- flexor retinaculum
- joint capsule
- movements
- alignment
- ossification centers
-
hand joints
- articulations
- carpometacarpal joint
-
metacarpophalangeal joints
- palmar ligament (plate)
- collateral ligament
-
interphalangeal joints
- palmar ligament (plate)
- collateral ligament
- movements
- ossification centers
- articulations
-
pectoral girdle
- spaces of the upper limb
- muscles of the upper limb
- shoulder girdle
- anterior compartment of the arm
- posterior compartment of the arm
-
anterior compartment of the forearm
- superficial
- intermediate
- deep
-
posterior compartment of the forearm (extensors)
- superficial
- deep
- muscles of the hand
-
accessory muscles
- elbow
- volar wrist midline
- palmaris longus profundus
- aberrant palmaris longus
- volar wrist radial-side
- accessory flexor digitorum superficialis indicis
- flexor indicis profundus
- flexor carpi radialis vel profundus
- accessory head of the flexor pollicis longus (Gantzer muscle, common)
- volar wrist ulnar-side
- dorsal wrist
- blood supply to the upper limb
-
arteries
- subclavian artery (mnemonic)
- axillary artery
- brachial artery (proximal portion)
- ulnar artery
- radial artery
- veins
-
arteries
- innervation of the upper limb
- intercostobrachial nerve
-
brachial plexus (mnemonic)
- branches from the roots
- branches from the trunks
- branches from the cords
- lateral cord
- posterior cord
- medial cord
- terminal branches
- lymphatic drainage of the upper limb