The radial artery and its variations: anatomical study and clinical implications

Background: To describe the radial artery and its variants in origin, branching pattern, mode of termination, and measurements of its length and external diameter. Material and methods: One hundred upper limbs of 30 men and 20 women adult cadavers were used in this study. The cadavers were obtained from the Anatomy Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The axillary region, arm, forearm, and hand of each limb were dissected to clarify the course and branches of the radial artery. This anatomical descriptive study was conducted between September 2010 and August 2012 after approval of the Ethical Committee. Results: The mean distance of the normal origin of the radial artery as one of two terminal branches of the brachial artery was 38.7 +/- 9.5 mm in men and 36.5 +/- 8.5 mm in the upper limbs of women below the intercondylar line, and variant origin of the radial artery was found in eight limbs. The mean of radial artery length was 226.2 +/- 21.7 mm in men and 209.9 +/- 13.9 mm in women and that of its external diameter was 3.3 +/- 0.7 mm in men and 3.2 +/- 0.66 mm in women at 1 cm distal to its origin; 3.1 +/- 0.73 mm in men and 3.0 +/- 0.66 in women at 2 cm proximal to the styloid process of the radius. The radial artery showed different branching patterns and three modes of termination. Conclusions: Knowledge of radial artery description and its variants has great importance in different clinical fields and basic medical studies. (Folia Morphol 2012; 71, 4: 252-262)