Résumé
A total of 181 upper limbs (73 adults, 108 children) of Chinese were studied. The main results are as follows:1. The types of the superficial volar arch: the ulnar arterial type (U-type) occurred in 36.5?3.58%, the radial-ulnar arterial type (RU-type) in 50.8?3.72%,the median-ulnar arterial type (MU-type) in 10.5+2.28% and the radial-medianulnar type (RMU-type) in 2.2?1.09%. There are obvious differences between adults and children in the U and RU types. The occurrence of U-type in adults is twice as that in children and that of the RU-type is vice versa. We suggest that it might be the result of the pressure of the thenar. The U-type in males is more than that in females, it might result from the same factor.2. The arrangements of the branches of the superficial volar arch are divided into four types: the juxtaposed type occurred in 61.3?3.62%, the common trunk type in 26.0?3.26%, the intervalic type in 8.3?2.05% and the mixed type in 4.4?1.52%. It was found that the common trunks occur more often in the ulnar side, and the intervalic in the radial side of the hand. These, too, might be due to the pressure of the thenar. The number of the branchs of the superficial volar arch is 2～6; among them, the 4-branch type takes major part (53.0?3.71%). The next one is 5-branch type (30.9?3.43%).3. The distribution of arteries derived from the superficial volar arch are divided into two types: the juxtaposed type and the intervalic type occurred in 87.3?2.47% and 12.7?2.47% respectively. The position of the interval is more common in the index finger and the finger artery derived from the superficial volar arch is gradually decreased from the ulnar side to the radial side.