Upper limb
Princeps pollicis artery
Arteria princeps pollicis
- Origin
- Arises from the radial artery as it passes into the palm between the heads of the first dorsal interosseous muscle
- Insertion
- Descends along the first metacarpal to divide at the base of the proximal phalanx into two proper digital arteries for the thumb
- Function
- Principal arterial supply to the thumb musculature, pulp, and nail matrix
- Innervation
- Sympathetic vasomotor fibers
- Movement & chain
- Accommodates thumb circumduction and opposition
- Palpation
- Palpable along the palmar aspect of the first metacarpophalangeal joint
- Clinical
- Paramount vessel in thumb amputation and replantation surgery; integrity determines thumb survival
- Segmental innervation
- C6 dermatomal/vascular root
- In clinical practice
- Critical microvascular target in emergency thumb revascularization; thumb accounts for ~40% of global hand function
- Region in the model
- Upper limb