POSTERIOR CARPAL ARCH

SUMMARY

1. Arterial anastamosis involving the radial a., ulnar a. & anterior interosseous a.
2. Lies on the back of the carpus.
3. Sends dorsal metacarpal arteries which run in the intermetacarpal spaces, deep to the long tendons.
4. These split at the webs to supply the dorsal aspect of adjacent fingers.
5. They communicate through the interosseous spaces with the palmar metacarpal arteries of the deep palmar arch.
6. Companion veins drain the palm into the dorsal venous network.

Image: Gray, Henry. Anatomy of the Human Body. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger, 1918; Bartleby.com, 2000. www.bartleby.com/107/ [Accessed 16 Apr. 2019].

Reference(s)

R.M.H McMinn (1998). Last’s anatomy: regional and applied. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Gray, H., Carter, H.V. and Davidson, G. (2017). Gray’s anatomy. London: Arcturus.