Common palmar digital arteries

Detailed view of the hand's vascular system, highlighting the common palmar digital arteries.

Anatomical illustration of the hand showing the palmar digital arteries.

Common palmar digital arteries are arteries in the human hand that supply blood to the fingers. They are branches of the superficial palmar arch, which is formed primarily by the ulnar artery and supplemented by the superficial branch of radial artery.

Etymology

The term "common palmar digital arteries" is derived from the Latin words "palma" (palm), "digitus" (finger), and "arteria" (air-holder or windpipe). The term "artery" was historically used to describe any tubular structure carrying air or fluid, but in modern medical terminology, it refers specifically to blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.

Anatomy

The common palmar digital arteries typically arise as three branches from the convexity of the superficial palmar arch. They run distally on the second, third, and fourth lumbrical muscles, which are muscles in the hand that flex the metacarpophalangeal joints and extend the interphalangeal joints. At the web of the fingers, each artery divides into two proper palmar digital arteries that supply the adjacent sides of two fingers.

Clinical significance

The common palmar digital arteries, like other arteries in the hand, can be affected by conditions such as Raynaud's disease, in which blood vessels in the fingers and toes constrict excessively in response to cold or stress. They may also be involved in hand injuries that cause damage to the blood vessels.

Gallery

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  Diagram of the hand's arterial supply, including the common palmar digital arteries
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  Common palmar digital arteries.

Related terms

• Superficial palmar arch
• Ulnar artery
• Superficial branch of radial artery
• Lumbrical muscles
• Proper palmar digital arteries
• Raynaud's disease

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