First dorsal metacarpal artery flap in hand reconstruction. I. Anatomical study.

Twenty-one human hands were dissected to study the anatomy of the first dorsal metacarpal artery (FDMA). The artery was found in all the dissected hands. It constantly gave three fascial branches: a radial branch, an ulnar branch, and an intermediate branch. A cutaneous branch was also observed, which may arise either from the radial artery or from the FDMA. It runs with the radial nerve supplying dorsal hand skin. This branch may supplement the vascularization of FDMA flap. The FDMA supplies the dorsal hand skin from the thumb metacarpal to the long metacarpal, as well as the skin on the dorsal surfaces of the thumb and index to the proximal interphalangeal joint.