Forty fresh cadaver specimens were injected with colored latex. The ulnar, radial, and anterior interosseous arteries and their distal branches were dissected. The palmar carpal arch was found to consist of constant arterial branches from the radial and anterior interosseous arteries, with a variable branch from the ulnar artery. The authors concluded that vascularized bone grafts of adequate length for carpal bone use could be fashioned from the palmar carpal arch and the anterior branch of the anterior interosseous artery.
The arterial anatomy of the dorsal aspect of the distal radius has been well defined and techniques for harvesting pedicled bone grafts from this region studied. A palmar approach to the wrist is desirable in certain situations, such as repair of a scaphoid nonunion with humpback deformity and proximal pole osteonecrosis. The authors have provided an arterial map of the volar radius with alternatives for palmar-based vascularized bone grafts.
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J Hand Surg