Histological analysis of forearm superficial veins structure

Area of Science:

• Anatomy
• Histology
• Vascular Biology

Background:

• The forearm's basilic and cephalic veins exhibit significant interindividual variation in their connections.
• Common connection patterns include M-, N-, and Y-shaped configurations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare metric traits of basilic and cephalic veins.
• To analyze the relative content of smooth muscle, collagen, and elastic fibers in vein walls.
• To identify differences between forearm venous systems based on connection type.

Main Methods:

• Histological analysis of 42 forearm veins from 26 deceased individuals (ages 19-50).
• Staining using pentachrome Movat's method.
• Quantification of smooth muscle, elastic, and collagen fibers using Trainable Weka segmentation.
• Statistical comparison of M-type veins versus combined N- and Y-type veins.

Main Results:

• M-type veins demonstrated greater tunica media thickness compared to N- and Y-type veins.
• N- and Y-type veins exhibited a larger lumen circumference.
• Vein metrics correlated with elastic fiber content, with a weak inverse correlation to tunica media thickness.

Conclusions:

• Significant metric differences exist between M-type and N/Y-type forearm venous connections.
• The higher elastic fiber content in N- and Y-type veins may contribute to their enhanced performance.