AN ANATOMICAL STUDY ON THE FOREARM VASCULAR

The purpose of the present study was to establish the clinicoanatomica l basis for the radial forearm flap. We conducted a morphometric inves tigation on 52 Japanese cadavers, of forearm vessels, for use in free forearm flaps. The mean inner diameter of the cephalic and median cubi tal veins at the interepicondylar line was 1.9+/-1.2 mm and 1.8+/-1.1 mm, respectively. Mean inner diameter of the radial artery and venae c omitantes 1 cm distal to the origins of the radial and ulnar arteries was 2.3+/-0.5 mm and 1.6+/-0.5 mm, respectively. The longest segment o f a superficial vein was 28.7+/-4.6 cm, it was measured between the ba silic vein 5 cm proximal to the interepicondylar line and the cephalic vein at Lister's tubercle. The length of the radial artery was 18.1+/ -1.7 cm. There were fewer valves in the basilic vein and cephalic vein proximal to the median cubital vein and in the brachial veins than in the distal antebrachial veins. From these results some of the clinico anatomical considerations of forearm vessels which will form the clini coanatomical basis of the free forearm flap should be clarified.