The deep lymphatic anatomy of the hand
Chuan-Xiang Ma1, Wei-Ren Pan1, Zhi-An Liu1
1Department of Anatomy, College of Biomedical Sciences, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, PR China.
Background:
The deep lymphatic anatomy of the hand still remains the least described in medical literature.
Methods:
Eight hands were harvested from four nonembalmed human cadavers amputated above the wrist. A small amount of 6% hydrogen peroxide was employed to detect the lymphatic vessels around the superficial and deep palmar vascular arches, in webs from the index to little fingers, the thenar and hypothenar areas. A 30-gauge needle was inserted into the vessels and injected with a barium sulphate compound. Each specimen was dissected, photographed and radiographed to demonstrate deep lymphatic distribution of the hand.
Results:
Five groups of deep collecting lymph vessels were found in the hand: superficial palmar arch lymph vessel (SPALV); deep palmar arch lymph vessel (DPALV); thenar lymph vessel (TLV); hypothenar lymph vessel (HTLV); deep finger web lymph vessel (DFWLV). Each group of vessels drained in different directions first, then all turned and ran towards the wrist in different layers.
Conclusion:
The deep lymphatic drainage of the hand has been presented. The results will provide an anatomical basis for clinical management, educational reference and scientific research.
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