Superficial ulnar artery – Case Report

Superficial ulnar artery is one among the rare variant form of ulnar artery. Ulnar artery, in its course, if it lies superficial over the flexor muscles of forearm it is known as superficial ulnar artery. The incidence of superficial ulnar artery given off by the axillary artery is estimated to be 0.7-2%. It is therefore considered as a rare occurrence. We report a unilateral case of high origin of superficial ulnar artery from the right axillary artery in a middle aged male cadaver. However such variation was not found on the opposite side. Accurate knowledge of these variation patterns is of considerable clinical importance in the conduct of reparative surgeries around the shoulder and fracture management of the humerus. These additional data of arterial anomalies to contemporary anatomical literature are of interest to clinicians, in particular vascular and plastic surgeons, orthopaedicians and radiologists. In addition knowledge of such variation is important for carrying out surgical procedure in the arm