Dorsal metacarpal artery

DORSAL METACARPAL ARTERY

  • It is very small vessel (often absent), which arises from the rete carpi dorsale.
  • It passes down the dorsal metacarpal groove and below the fetlock it is joined by the distal perforating metacarpal artery from the deep volar arch to form the volar common digital artery.
  • This receives a communicating branch from the volar common digital artery and divides into two dorsal proper digital arteries for the two chief digits.
  • These are also accompanied by nerves and they enter the sinuses in the third phalanges and form the arterial circle from which branches pass to the corium of the foot.
  • The medial and lateral volar digital arteries descend on the digits and terminate at the bulbs of the heel by anastomosing with corresponding volar proper digital arteries.
  • Each gives off a branch to the rudimentary digits and forms a transverse anastomosis behind the first phalanx with the volar common digital or its medial and lateral branches, respectively.

Last modified: Monday, 17 October 2011, 5:18 AM