The vascular supply to the proximal interphalangeal joint

Four methods were used to identify the vascular branches that supply the proximal interphalangeal joint in 55 cadaver fingers. They were intra-arterial injection of radiopaque dyes, microscopic dissections of the arterial system, selective injection of specific branches followed by sectioning of the joints and examination of the areas stained, and histologic sectioning. Our studies show that the major branches of the digital artery to the joint arise from the dorsal aspect of the vessel, while smaller branches that run to the soft tissue arise from the palmar side. Three branches supply the proximal interphalangeal joint. The first arises 1.5 to 2.5 cm proximal to the joint and divides into branches to the dorsal skin, the bone proximally, the vincular system, the lateral surface of the joint, and the palmar plate. The other two branches arise distal to the joint space; the first has branches to the palmar aspect of the joint of the middle phalanx and the vincular system. The most distal of the three perfuses the dorsal surface of the joint.