Corpus: Radial artery

The radial artery is the most important artery of the forearm alongside the ulnar artery.

The radial artery begins together with the ulnar artery at the bifurcation of the brachial artery in the cubital fossa. It continues the original direction of the brachial artery and runs along the forearm in the radial antebrachial sulcus along the radius towards the wrist. It follows the muscle belly and the tendon of the brachioradialis muscle.

At the wrist, the radial artery swings dorsally around the lateral side of the carpus and passes under the tendons of the abductor pollicis longus, extensor pollicis longus, and extensor pollicis brevis muscles into the space between the metacarpal bones I and II (thumb and index finger). It pierces the interosseus dorsalis I muscle and ends in the palm of the hand, where it crosses the other metacarpal bones and finally joins the volar branch of the ulnar artery on the ulnar side of the hand to form the deep palmar arch.

3.1. ...on the forearm

• radial recurrent artery: Supplies parts of the elbow joint
• Muscular branch: Supplies the muscles on the radial side of the forearm
• palmar carpal branch of radial artery: Supplies parts of the wrist and carpus and draws into the palmar carpal anastomosis
• Superficial palmar branch: Supplies the muscles of the ball of the thumb and forms the arcus palmaris superficialis

3.2. ...on the wrist

• dorsal carpal branch of radial artery: flows into the dorsal carpal anastomosis
• first dorsal metacarpal artery: Supplies parts of the thumb and index finger

3.3. ...in the hand

• princeps pollicis artery: supplies parts of the thumb
• radialis indicis artery: supplies parts of the index finger
• palmar metacarpal artery: supplies the remaining fingers
• perforating branch: anastomosing with the dorsal metacarpal arteries
• ramus recurrens: extend proximally to the palmar carpal branch and supply parts of the carpus

The radial artery is the artery most frequently used to feel the pulse. To do this, the artery is simply pressed against the bone with the finger proximal to the wrist.

In intensive care medicine, the radial artery is used as an access for continuous arterial blood pressure measurement. It is also used as an arterial access for cardiologic catheter interventions and as a bypass vessel in heart surgery.