Origin, Reality, and Clinical Importance of the Arcade of Struthers: An Anatomic Study

The literature contains confusing and opposing views about the naming, prevalence, anatomic structure, and clinical significance of the arcade of Struthers. The conflicting rates of arcade (between 0% and 100%) prevalence found in the literature may be due to the varying definition of the arcade among the authors, as well as the dissection method. The present study aims to examine the structure to determine whether or not the arcade of Struthers exists through an anatomic dissection study of a fresh human cadaver and seeks to compare its findings with those in the literature. Twenty arms from fresh frozen cadavers were dissected. An arcade of Struthers was not found in any specimen. Study concluded that its existence is unproven, and the arcade of Struthers does not exist.