Origin of the radial artery from the axillary artery and associated hand vascular anomalies.

A high origin of the radial artery is the most common vascular pattern variation of the upper extremity in man and is capable of causing various clinical concerns. The case presented had bilateral high origin arteries arising in the axilla, which were associated with variations in hand vascularity. This article describes the embryonic origin of these vessels and distinguishes this case from the superficial brachial artery.