Dorsal digital arteries of hand

At a glance

English

Dorsal digital arteries of hand

Latin (TA2)

Arteriae digitales dorsales manus

System

Artery

Region

Upper limb

Side

Paired, left and right

About the dorsal digital arteries of hand

The dorsal digital arteries of the hand are fine vessels that run along the back of the fingers. Each dorsal metacarpal artery, travelling distally over an interosseous space on the back of the hand, divides near the web between two fingers into a pair of dorsal digital arteries. One passes to the adjacent side of each finger, so every web space feeds the facing edges of its two neighbouring digits.

The vessels lie along the dorsolateral and dorsomedial borders of the proximal phalanges, under the skin and over the extensor expansion. They are slender and usually fade out at about the level of the proximal interphalangeal joint or the middle phalanx. Beyond that point the back of the finger, including the skin over the distal phalanx and the nail bed, is supplied mainly by dorsal branches that wind round from the much larger proper palmar digital arteries on the front of the finger.

The arteries are part of the dorsal network of the hand. The dorsal metacarpal arteries that give rise to them come mostly from the dorsal carpal arch, and they are linked to the deep palmar arch and to the common palmar digital arteries by perforating branches, so blood can reach the dorsal digital vessels from both the back and the front of the hand. Along the sides of the fingers the dorsal and palmar digital arteries communicate freely. The thumb and the radial side of the index finger have their own dorsal twigs, from the first dorsal metacarpal artery, which leaves the radial artery directly.

They travel with the dorsal digital nerves, which come from the superficial branch of the radial nerve on the lateral side of the hand and from the dorsal branch of the ulnar nerve on the medial side. Although small, these arteries matter in hand surgery: they carry the blood supply of local skin flaps raised on the back of the fingers and hand, such as flaps used to cover defects of the fingertips or the web spaces.

Course and supply

Arises from

The dorsal metacarpal arteries, each dividing near a finger web into two dorsal digital arteries.

Ends in

End along the backs of the proximal and middle phalanges, communicating with dorsal branches of the proper palmar digital arteries.

Supplies

Supply the skin and soft tissues of the back of the fingers over the proximal phalanges and joints.