The radial artery running over the anatomical snuffbox: a case report

The radial artery, a terminal branch of the brachial artery, typically originates at the level of the radial neck. It runs under the cover of the brachioradialis muscle, descending along the lateral side of the forearm with paired accompanying veins and a superficial branch of the radial nerve. The radial artery rewinds around the lateral aspect of the wrist, passing beneath the tendons of the abductor pollicis, extensor pollicis longus, and extensor pollicis brevis. Finally, it crossed the floor of the anatomical snuffbox.

This case report presents an anatomical variant in which the radial artery runs over the radial fossa, that is, superficially of the tendons of the hand's abductor pollicis, extensor pollicis longus, and extensor pollicis brevis muscles.

The variation described in this paper sheds light on the possible atypical topographical relationships of the radial artery with the neighboring anatomical structures in the wrist, which can be crucial during hand surgery procedures.