Morphometric evaluation of radial recurrent artery

Abstract

Literature shows that most of the studies investigating the radial recurrent artery (RRA) seem to focus more on morphology of this artery. Accordingly, we aimed to evaluate the morphology and morphometry of RRA in detail and highlight its clinical relevance with the obtained data. Forty upper limbs of human cadavers were studied. The morphology of the RRA was evaluated according to its origin. The perpendicular distance of the artery to the intercondylar line and diameter of the artery at specific reference points were measured. The origin of the artery was radial artery (Type A) on 47.5%, root of radial artery (Type B) on 32.5%, brachial artery (Type C) on 17.5%, and ulnar artery (Type D) on 2.5% of cases. The perpendicular distance of the artery to the intercondylar line was 32.2±6.8 mm. The diameter of the RRA at the origin and the diameter immediately after the first branch were 2.5±0.5 mm and 2.0±0.4 mm, respectively. The distance from the origin of the first branch of the RRA to the RRA origin was significantly different between both sexes (p=0.039). There were no significant differences between sexes and sides for the remaining morphometric variables. The morphology and morphometry of the RRA may be a guide for surgeons performing free upper extremity flaps and interventional radiologists.