European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

UNILATERAL PERSISTENT MEDIAN ARTERY – A CASE REPORT

Jyoti S. Umarji*, Uma BG and Vislavath Srikanth

ABSTRACT

The Persistent median artery (PMA) is one of the transitory vessels that represents the primitive arterial architecture in the forearm. Its reported frequency, ranges from 0.6% to 44.2%. During routine anatomical dissection in the Department of Rachana Sharir, SDMT’S Ayurvedic Medical College, Terdal, we observed presence of Unilateral Persistent Median Artery in left forearm of 55-year-old male human cadaver. It originated from the Ulnar Artery, About 5-6cm distal to the division of the brachial artery, deep to the Pronator Teres muscle. In the forearm, it was passing superficial to the median nerve and seen crossing the nerve anteriorly directed towards post axial or ulnar aspect of forearm, further extending down under the deep surface of Flexor Digitorum Superficialis muscle. In the wrist, it was running deep to carpal tunnel along with median nerve under the flexor retinaculum and terminated into small branches. The ulnar artery, after giving the PMA, Anterior Interosseous artery(AIA), Posterior Interosseous Artery(PIA) branches, directly continued as the Ulnar Artery proper (UAP). The usual common interosseous artery was absent. No muscular or other arterial or nerve variations were observed in this cadaver. The embryological interpretation of this variation could be failure in the differentiation, degeneration or regression of parts of the initial network blood vessels. The awareness of this type of arterial variations are important to the physicians, Orthopaedic surgeons and Radiologists during the diagnosis and management of forearm or hand disorders. This report presents a case of unilateral palmar pattern of PMA with unique branching pattern of ulnar artery, origin and termination of persistent median artery and absent of common interosseous artery with its clinical significance.

Keywords: Ulnar Artery, Persistent Median Artery, Palmar Type, Median Nerve, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.