Abstract
The occurrence of variations in human arterial branching of the upper limb has been commonly reported in peer-reviewed literature. However, the variability of upper limb arterial patterns may be underappreciated in medical practice, which can result in clinical and surgical errors. Here we report a case of a rare, unilateral arterial variation of the left upper limb of a 76-year-old Caucasian male cadaver, discovered during a routine educational dissection. Observed characteristics of the variation include a high brachial artery bifurcation into a superficial brachioulnoradial artery and brachial artery continuing as the interosseous artery and then a bifurcation of the superficial brachioulnoradial artery into a superficial radial and a superficial ulnar artery, which eventually contribute to the formation of the superficial palmar arch. The anatomical characteristics, prevalence, embryological origin, and clinical significance of the variation are discussed.
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Acknowledgements
The authors sincerely thank those who donated their bodies to science so that anatomical research could be performed. Results from such research will increase mankind’s overall knowledge, leading to improvements in patient care. Therefore, these donors and their families deserve our highest gratitude. We are very grateful to Mr. Earl Donaldson for his support and technical assistance and to our colleagues in the Anatomical Sciences program at Queen’s University.
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This study was funded by Queen’s University School of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, the Health Sciences Program, and the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences at Queen’s University.
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B.D. is the corresponding author. B.D., E.M., A.W., and L.B. responsible for conceptualization of the research project. B.D. and E.M. responsible for data curation (dissection).B.D., E.M., and A.W. wrote the original manuscript. A.W. prepared figures. All authors edited and reviewed the manuscript.
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Ethical approval for this study was obtained by the Queen’s University Health Sciences & Affiliated Teaching Hospitals Research Ethics Board (HSREB) for research involving human donors. TRAQ #: 6,039,183, Department Code: CRAF-015-23.
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DeCarlo, B., MacPherson, E., Williams, A. et al. Unilateral identification of a rare superficial brachioulnoradial artery contributing to the superficial palmar arch and brachial artery continuing as the interosseous artery: a case report. Surg Radiol Anat 46, 495–500 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-024-03332-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00276-024-03332-x