The princeps pollicis artery was pr

The princeps pollicis artery was present in all of the hands and was theorigin of the radial and ulnar digital arteries in 73.3 percent. The radial andulnar digital arteries originated from the princeps pollicis artery or branches ofthe palmar metacarpal artery in 53.3 and 83.3 percent of the dissections, respectively. Dorsally, the dorsal ulnar artery was present in 100 percent of thehands and originated mainly from the princeps pollicis artery (73.3 percent).The dorsal radial artery was present in 66.7 percent of dissections as a directbranch of the radial artery. Several anastomoses were observed between theradial and ulnar digital arteries and between the dorsal and palmar systems.Conclusions: Various arterial systems were described in the arterial irrigationsof the thumb, such as the dorsopalmar and radioulnar. The complex configuration and the multiple anastomotic arcades between the arterial systems allowthe thumb to survive even after severe lesions of nearly all of the arteries. The presenceof these interconnected systems provides multiple alternatives in flap design withoutendangering their survival. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 129: 468e, 2012.)