Upper limb
Posterior ulnar recurrent artery
Arteria recurrens ulnaris posterior
- Origin
- Arises from the ulnar artery distal to the anterior recurrent branch
- Insertion
- Ascends posterior to the medial epicondyle through the cubital tunnel to join the superior ulnar collateral artery
- Function
- Supplies the ulnar nerve (vasa nervorum) and the posteromedial aspect of the elbow joint
- Innervation
- Sympathetic perivascular plexus
- Movement & chain
- Courses through the cubital tunnel posterior to the medial epicondyle
- Palpation
- Deep within the cubital tunnel; not distinctly palpable
- Clinical
- Accompanies the ulnar nerve in the cubital tunnel; bleeding during cubital tunnel release requires meticulous bipolar hemostasis
- Segmental innervation
- C7–T1 roots
- In clinical practice
- Key vessel to identify and protect during ulnar nerve decompression or transposition
- Region in the model
- Upper limb