Ortho Oracle - orthopaedic operative atlas
Home » Bones » Hand » Vascular Anatomy of Scaphoid

Vascular Anatomy of Scaphoid

   



- See: Blood Supply to the Wrist:

- Discussion:
    - scaphoid receives majority of its blood supply via dorsal vessels at or just distal to waist area;
          - these vessels perfuse the proximal pole in a retrograde fashion;
    - most important vascular branches of radial artery enter scaphoid thru foraminae along its dorsal ridge;
           - it supplies 70-80% of bone, including entire proximal pole;
    - second group of vessels, arise from palmar & superficial palmar branches of radial artery & enter carpal scaphoid in region of its distal 
           tubercle;
           - it perfuses distal 20-30 % of bone, including tuberosity;

- Proximal Scaphoid:
    - proximal two thirds to three fourths of scaphoid is supplied by vessels entering dorsal surface;
    - vessels enter thru dorsal ridge in 79 %, distal to waist in 14 %, & proximal to waist in 7 %;
    - vessels branched soon after entering bone and then coursed proximally and palmarly as far as the subchondral bone;

- Distal Scaphoid:
    - tubercle & distal 20-30 % of scaphoid are supplied by palmar vessels;
    - in few specimens, two or three vessels enter tip of tubercle & penetrated the bone as far as waist;
    - there were no anastomoses between the dorsal and palmar vessels in any of the specimens



The vascularity of the scaphoid bone.