Dorsal carpal branch of the ulnar artery

Artery: Dorsal carpal branch of the ulnar artery
Arteries of the back of the forearm and hand.
Latin	ramus carpalis dorsalis arteriae ulnaris
Gray's	subject #152 598
Source	ulnar artery
Branches	dorsal carpal arch
Dorlands / Elsevier	r_02/12689253

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

The dorsal carpal branch of the ulnar artery arises from the ulnar artery immediately above the pisiform bone, and winds backward beneath the tendon of the flexor carpi ulnaris; it passes across the dorsal surface of the carpus beneath the extensor tendons, to anastomose with a corresponding branch of the radial artery.

Immediately after its origin, it gives off a small branch, which runs along the ulnar side of the fifth metacarpal bone, and supplies the ulnar side of the dorsal surface of the little finger.

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.