VASCULAR STUDY ON SKIN FLAP OF FOREARM / 解剖学报

ABSTRACT

The cutaneous arteries of the forearm and their anastomoses in skin and subcutaneous tissue were invetigated on 35 upper limbs.1. The average length of the radial artery is 215.3 mm. This artery can be divided into a covered part and a exposed part. Their lengths are 117.7 mm. and 101.4 mm. respectively. The calibers of the upper end, the intermediate point, and the lower end of the radial artery are 2.7mm, 2.3 mm and 2.4 mm respectively.2. The exposed part of the radial artery sends out more cutaneous branches (9.6 branches) than the covered part (4.2 branches), While their muscular branches are nearly equal in number. The calibers of the cutaneous and muscular branches of the radial artery varies from 0.3～0.5 mm.The fine anastomoses of the cutaneous branches exist between the radial and ulnar arteries and between the radial and ulnar arteries and the dorsal interosseus artery and they form an arterial networks in the subcutaneous tissue of the whole forearm. For blood supply a skin flap may be cut from the whole forearm from the standpoint of morphology.4. The calibers of the radial and cephalic veins at the level of middle part of the forearm are 1.3 mm and 2.8 mm respectively. As the vasular pedicle both the veins should be anastomosed during transplant operation in order to increase the volume of the draining blood.5. The skin flap of forearm blongs to a type of blood supply of arterial trunk network, which have been distinguished with that of some other skin and myocutaneous flaps according to the anatomical characteristics of the radial artery.