Dorsal metacarpal arteries

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Artery: Dorsal metacarpal arteries

Arteries of the back of the forearm and hand. (Dorsal metacarpal visible at bottom center.)
Latin	arteriae metacarpales dorsales
Gray's	subject #151 594
Source	dorsal carpal arch
Dorlands/Elsevier	a_61/12155079

Most of the dorsal metacarpal arteries arise from the dorsal carpal arch and run downward on the second, third, and fourth dorsal interossei of the hand and bifurcate into the dorsal digital arteries. Near their origin, they anastomose with the deep palmar arch by perforating arteries. They also anastomose with common palmar digital arteries (from the superficial palmar arch), also via perforating arteries.

The first dorsal metacarpal artery arises directly from the radial artery before it crosses through the two heads of the first dorsal interosseous muscle.

[edit] Dorsal digital arteries

Dorsal digital arteries arise from the bifurcation of dorsal metacarpal arteries. They travel along the sides and dorsal aspects of the phalanges of the middle finger, ring finger, and little finger. They communicate with the proper palmar digital arteries.

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This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.