Cardiovascular system · Upper limb
Dorsal hand arteries !
The dorsal hand arteries form a network on the back of the wrist and hand from the radial and ulnar arteries; they feed the back of the hand.
Official name: Dorsal carpal and metacarpal arteries
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What it is
A network of small arteries on the back of the wrist and hand.
What it does
Feed the back of the hand.
Key facts
- Origin
- Dorsal carpal branches of the radial and ulnar arteries
- Branches
- Dorsal carpal network, dorsal metacarpal and dorsal digital arteries
- Supplies
- Back of the wrist and hand
Relations
- Course
- From the dorsal carpal network, dorsal metacarpal arteries run distally on the dorsal interossei, receive perforating branches from the deep palmar arch and split into dorsal digital arteries at the web spaces
- Superficial
- Extensor tendons and the extensor retinaculum; the dorsal venous network, the superficial radial nerve and the dorsal branch of the ulnar nerve
- Deep
- Back of the carpal bones and metacarpals, and the dorsal interossei
How to find it
The radial artery pulse can be felt in the anatomical snuffbox as it crosses the back of the wrist; the first dorsal metacarpal artery runs on the first dorsal interosseous toward the web between thumb and index.
On imaging
Handheld Doppler traces the dorsal metacarpal arteries before a flap is raised; CT or catheter angiography shows the dorsal carpal network and its links with the palmar arches.
Clinical notes
- Dorsal carpal branches of the radial artery enter the scaphoid along its dorsal ridge and flow from distal to proximal, so a waist fracture can leave the proximal pole without blood (avascular necrosis)
- Dorsal metacarpal artery flaps, including reverse-flow designs, cover defects of the fingers
- Perforating links with the deep palmar arch make the back of the hand a collateral path when a palmar arch is blocked
Anatomical variants
- The dorsal metacarpal arteries vary in size; the more ulnar ones are often thin and may be replaced by perforating branches of the deep palmar arch
Related conditions
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which arteries form the dorsal carpal network?
The dorsal carpal branches of the radial and ulnar arteries, joined by the end branches of the anterior and posterior interosseous arteries.
Why can a scaphoid waist fracture leave the proximal pole without blood?
Dorsal carpal branches of the radial artery enter along the dorsal ridge and flow from distal to proximal.
Which dorsal hand artery is the pedicle of the kite flap for thumb reconstruction?
The first dorsal metacarpal artery, coming straight from the radial artery before it dives into the palm.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- rete dorsale carpi TA2 4647
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Red carpiana dorsal; arterias metacarpianas y digitales dorsales
- English (TA2)
- Dorsal carpal and metacarpal arteries
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); Anatomy, Shoulder and Upper Limb, Hand Arteries; 20.5 Circulatory Pathways (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, CC BY 4.0.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
