Normal Anatomy

Radial artery

smaller terminal branch of the brachial artery which begins about one cm distal to the elbow joint. It passes along the radial side of the forearm, curls posterolaterally around the wrist to reach the first intermetacarpal space. It then passes medially into the palm to form the deep palmar arch with the deep palmar branch of the ulnar artery. It is divided into three parts; in the forearm, wrist and hand. Gives origin to the radial recurrent, muscular, palmar carpal, superficial palmar, dorsal carpal, first dorsal metacarpal arteries and arteria princeps pollicis, the arteria radialis indicis and the deep palmar arteries. See blood vessels, forearm and hand (II), Fig. 1, blood vessels, forearm and hand (II), Fig. 2, blood vessels, forearm and hand (II), Fig. 4, forearm (II), Fig. 3, forearm (II), Fig. 4, forearm (II), Fig. 5, wrist (II), Fig. 7, wrist (II), Fig. 8, wrist (II), Fig. 9

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