Palmar metacarpal arteries

At a glance

English

Palmar metacarpal arteries

Latin (TA2)

Arteriae metacarpeae palmares

System

Artery

Region

Upper limb

Side

Paired, left and right

About the palmar metacarpal arteries

The palmar metacarpal arteries, also called volar metacarpal or palmar interosseous arteries, are branches that come off the deep palmar arch. They leave the convex, distal side of the arch, usually three of them for the second, third and fourth intermetacarpal spaces, with a fourth sometimes present. The first space, between the thumb and index finger, is served instead by the princeps pollicis and radialis indicis arteries.

Each artery runs towards the fingers deep in the palm. It lies on the palmar interosseous muscles and the front of the metacarpal shafts, beneath the long flexor tendons and the lumbricals, and in the same deep layer as the deep branch of the ulnar nerve. Along the way it gives twigs to the interossei, the lumbricals and the metacarpal bones.

Near the clefts of the fingers each palmar metacarpal artery joins the common palmar digital artery of the same space, which descends from the superficial palmar arch. This union is one of the links between the deep and superficial systems of the palm. Perforating branches also connect the palmar metacarpal arteries with the dorsal metacarpal arteries on the back of the hand, so the deep palmar, superficial palmar and dorsal networks are joined at several points.

Because of this overlap, the fingers can still receive blood if one arch is underdeveloped or one forearm artery is blocked. The deep and superficial arches vary a good deal, and the palmar metacarpal arteries are sometimes the main supply to a digit when the matching common palmar digital artery is small. This is one reason why the circulation of the hand is checked before procedures on the radial or ulnar artery.

Course and supply

Arises from

The convex distal side of the deep palmar arch.

Ends in

Join the superficial arch's common palmar digital arteries near the finger clefts.

Supplies

Supply the interossei, lumbricals and metacarpal bones and contribute to the blood supply of the fingers through their union with the digital arteries.