Anatom3DSet of dorsal metacarpal arteries
Arteriae metacarpales dorsales · Hřbetní záprstní tepny
Heart & arteries
Looks like
Small arteries running on the back of the hand over the gaps between the hand bones, from the arch across the back of the wrist.
What it does
Feed the back of the hand and split into dorsal digital arteries for the backs of the fingers.
Keeping it well
They carry small skin flaps (e.g. the kite flap) that surgeons use to cover finger wounds.
Related conditions
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- De Quervain's tenosynovitis
- Dupuytren's contracture & trigger finger
- Ganglion cyst
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Hypothermia & frostbite
- Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Kawasaki disease
- Metabolic syndrome
- Orthostatic hypotension & POTS
- Peripheral artery disease
- Phaeochromocytoma & hyperaldosteronism
- Pre-eclampsia
- Pseudogout (calcium pyrophosphate disease)
- Raynaud's phenomenon
- Repetitive strain & overuse injury
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Sepsis
- Shock (circulatory failure)
- Vasculitis (GCA & others)