Superficial Dorsal Artery of the Forearm: Case Report and Clinical Implications in Reconstructive Microsurgery

While abnormalities of vascular anatomy in the forearm are common, variations of the radial and ulnar arteries are rare. Nevertheless, arterial variants in the forearm may complicate microvascular reconstructive surgery, such as harvest of radial or ulnar artery- based forearm free flaps. For example, the superficial ulnar artery has an incidence of 2.7% and has been well-described as a “trap” in the harvest of radial forearm flaps. These authors presented a case report of a variant of the radial artery – the superficial dorsal artery of the forearm. The artery has an estimated incidence of 0.7 to 1% and is associated with either an absent or small-caliber rudimentary radial artery. They discussed the clinical presentation and embryology of this structure, as well as its clinical implications to the reconstructive microsurgeon.