Prevalence and Variations of the Median Artery: A Pilot Study in a Sample of Lithuanian Cadavers

TL;DR

This study examines the median artery in Lithuanian cadavers, finding it in 62.5% of upper limbs and highlighting its clinical relevance.

Contribution

The study provides new prevalence data for the median artery in a Lithuanian population and details its anatomical variations.

Findings

The median artery was present in 62.5% of upper limbs examined.

The antebrachial type was more common than the palmar type of median artery.

Most median arteries originated from the common interosseous artery.

Abstract

Objective

This pilot project aimed to assess the prevalence and variations of the median artery (MA) on a small scale in preparation for a large-scale study investigating MA in Lithuanian cadavers.

Methods

Eight formalin-fixed adult female cadavers were used in this study. Dissection was performed to allow for the observation of MA presence, type, origin, termination, and relations with other structures. The gathered data was analyzed, and a literature search was performed to compare the findings.

Results

MA was found in 10 of the 16 upper limbs examined; therefore, the incidence of MA in the present study was 62.5%. Of the 10 MAs found, six (60%) were of the antebrachial type (a-MA), and four (40%) were palmar (p-MA). Thus, the prevalence of a-MA and p-MA in the upper limbs examined was 37.5% (N = 6/16) and 25% (N = 4/16), respectively. Among the six cadavers that were found to possess MA, it was identified bilaterally in four (66.7%) and unilaterally in two (33.3%). The associations between the antimere and the presence of MA or MA-type were not statistically significant. MA most commonly originated from the common interosseous artery (50%, N = 5/10), followed by the ulnar artery (UA) (40%, N = 4/10), and the anterior interosseous artery (10%, N = 1/10). Two (33.3%) of the six a-MAs terminated in the mid-forearm, while four (66.7%) a-MAs ended in the distal forearm. Meanwhile, three (75%) of the four p-MAs terminated by joining the UA, while one (25%) terminated as the first common palmar digital artery. In the forearm, nine (90%) of the 10 MAs traveled anteriorly to the anterior interosseous nerve (AIN), and only one (10%) traveled posteriorly to the AIN. Additionally, one (10%) of the 10 MAs was found to pierce the median nerve.

Conclusions

Our findings confirm the variability in MA characteristics reported by previous studies. The high incidence of MA discovered in our sample calls attention to the importance of being aware of MA in a clinical setting, as this would allow for a timely and accurate response to a potential pathology associated with this structure.

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