A STUDY ON RADIAL ARTERY IN CADAVERS AND ITS CLINICALIMPORTANCE

As the radial artery is the second most commonly used graft in coronary bypass (CABG) surgery(internal thoracic artery first most common) and for transcatheter coronary interventions (angioplasty), cardiac surgeons should have thorough knowledge about the normal anatomy and possible variations of it before these cardiac procedures. Methods: 50 radial artery specimens(both right and left sided) were studied by dissection method in 25 cadavers (20 male and 05 female). The data were tabulated in Microsoft excel and analysed by using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 17th version). Mean, Proportion, Standard deviation and Unpaired 't' test were applied for analysing the data obtained. Results& conclusion: Radial artery in all the specimens take origin from brachial artery at or just below the elbow joint in the cubitalfossa, running superficially and laterally, giving radial recurrent, manycollaterals, radial carpal and superficial palmar branches; total mean length of artery from origin to wrist joint is 20.63 +/- 1.96cm; mean luminal diameter at its termination 2 cm proximal to styloid process just above the wrist joint is 2.14 +/- 0.28mm. This study revealed anomalies like tortuosity (30%) in distal 1/3rd segment and radio-ulnar loops were not found in any specimens.