Superficial venous anatomy of the human palm

In a study of the venous anatomy of the palm, a high degree of consistency has been found in the organization of the superficial vessels, which lie between the palmar fascia and the dermis. Although in the superficial palm, as previously reported for the fingers, there are large individual variations in the detailed topography, the basic functional venous anatomy remains highly consistent. The present paper demonstrates the findings from dissections of 12 human cadaver hands after injection of a polymerizing plastic solution into the vascular tree. The basic types of superficial venous structures found in the superficial palm are presented, and their functional importance for the drainage of blood from the palm is discussed.