The morphometric anatomy and clinical importance of the radial artery

The radial forearm flap (RFF), including the radial artery (RA) and venous components, is used for hand reconstruction surgery. Updating the knowledge of the vascular anatomy in the forearm and associated flaps, such as the RFF, is useful in bringing innovations into reconstructive surgery. This study aimed to describe the morphometric anatomy of the RA and the associated RFF in human cadavers.

A total of 16 forearms from 8 human cadavers were dissected. The group consisted of 5 men and 3 women with a mean age at death of 59.05 ± 14.06 years. The inclusion criteria consisted of no history of trauma or surgery; thus, only apparently normal cadavers were included. The measurement of the following parameters was performed on these human cadavers: the mean diameter of the RA, the length of the RA, the average diameter of the cephalic vein, the length of the pedicle of the flap, and the average area of the radial forearm flap.

In males, the mean diameter of the RA at the wrist was 2.58 ± 1.1 mm. In females, the mean diameter of the RA was 2.60 ± 0.99 mm, and the mean length of the RA was 20.55 ± 1.7 cm. The average diameter of the cephalic vein was 1.8 ± 0.8 mm. The length of the pedicle of the flap was 8.88 ± 1.6 cm. The average area of the RFF was 5 × 7 cm2.

This study demonstrates the morphometric anatomy of the RA and lateral forearm radial artery flaps in human cadavers, which could be useful in improving the success rate during transradial coronary interventions and performing complex hand injuries.