A Cadaveric Study of the Mean Distance of the Radial Artery During the Approach to the First Carpometacarpal Joint.

Multiple surgical procedures have been described to treat first carpometacarpal (CMC) arthritis. Although the superiority of one procedure over the others continues to be a controversial topic, they all approach the trapezium and require careful attention to the surrounding structures. One potential complication is injury to the radial artery, which lies in close proximity to the trapezium and is often encountered during surgical approach. Using cadaveric specimens, the authors dissected to identify and isolate the radial artery as it travels in the forearm, wrist, and hand while being careful not to disturb its native course. The authors then measured the shortest distance interval from the radial artery to the first CMC joint and from the radial artery to the scaphotrapeziotrapezoidal joint. Descriptive statistics were calculated from these measurements and averaged over the various specimens. The mean distance of the radial artery to the closest segment of the volar CMC joint was 11.6±2.5 mm. The mean distance of the radial artery to the closest segment of the volar scaphotrapeziotrapezoidal joint was 1.6±1.8 mm. A precise understanding of nearby anatomy is paramount to a successful surgical treatment for first CMC arthritis and to avoid iatrogenic complications. The authors describe the mean distance from the radial artery to 2 major landmarks used during surgical treatment and provide insight to surgeons who perform these CMC reconstruction procedures to decrease the risk of intraoperative radial artery injury. [Orthopedics. 2018; 41(4):e541-e544.].