The posterior interosseous artery (dorsal interosseous artery) is an

artery An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pul ...

of the

forearm The forearm is the region of the upper limb between the elbow and the wrist. The term forearm is used in anatomy to distinguish it from the arm, a word which is most often used to describe the entire appendage of the upper limb, but which in anat ...

. It is a branch of the

common interosseous artery The common interosseous artery, about 1 cm. in length, arises immediately below the tuberosity of the radius from the ulnar artery. Passing backward to the upper border of the interosseous membrane An interosseous membrane is a thick den ...

, which is a branch of the

ulnar artery The ulnar artery is the main blood vessel, with oxygenated blood, of the medial aspects of the forearm. It arises from the brachial artery and terminates in the superficial palmar arch, which joins with the superficial branch of the radial ar ...

Structure

The posterior interosseous artery passes backward between the

oblique cord The oblique cord is a ligament between the ulnar and radius bones in the forearm near the elbow. It takes the form of a small, flattened band, extending downward and lateralward, from the lateral side of the ulnar tuberosity at the base of the co ...

and the upper border of the

interosseous membrane An interosseous membrane is a thick dense fibrous sheet of connective tissue that spans the space between two bones, forming a type of syndesmosis joint. Interosseous membranes in the human body: * Interosseous membrane of forearm * Interosseou ...

. It appears between the contiguous borders of supinator muscle and the

abductor pollicis longus muscle In human anatomy, the abductor pollicis longus (APL) is one of the extrinsic muscles of the hand. Its major function is to abduct the thumb at the wrist. Its tendon forms the anterior border of the anatomical snuffbox. Structure The abductor ...

, and runs down the back of the forearm between the superficial and deep layers of muscles, to both of which it distributes branches. Where it lies on

and the

extensor pollicis brevis muscle In human anatomy, the extensor pollicis brevis is a skeletal muscle on the dorsal side of the forearm. It lies on the medial side of, and is closely connected with, the abductor pollicis longus. The extensor pollicis brevis (EPB) belongs to the ...

, it is accompanied by the

dorsal interosseous nerve The posterior interosseous nerve (or dorsal interosseous nerve) is a nerve in the forearm. It is the continuation of the deep branch of the radial nerve, after this has crossed the supinator muscle. It is considerably diminished in size compared ...

. At the lower part of the forearm it anastomoses with the termination of the

volar interosseous artery The anterior interosseous artery (volar interosseous artery) is an artery in the forearm. It is a branch of the common interosseous artery. Course It passes down the forearm on the Anatomical terms of location#Arms, palmar surface of the inteross ...

, and with the

dorsal carpal network The dorsal carpal arch (dorsal carpal network, posterior carpal arch) is an anatomical term for the combination ( anastomosis) of dorsal carpal branch of the radial artery and the dorsal carpal branch of the ulnar artery near the back of the wris ...

Branches

Near its origin, it gives off the

interosseous recurrent artery The interosseous recurrent artery (or recurrent interosseous artery) is an artery of the forearm which arises from the posterior interosseous artery near its origin. It ascends to the interval between the lateral epicondyle and olecranon The ...

. This ascends to the interval between the lateral epicondyle and olecranon, on or through the fibers of supinator muscle, but beneath the anconeus muscle, and

anastomoses An anastomosis (, plural anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be normal ...

with the

middle collateral branch The medial collateral artery (also known as the middle collateral artery) is a branch of profunda brachii artery that descends in the middle head of the triceps brachii and assists in forming the anastomosis with the interosseous recurrent artery ...

of the

deep artery of arm The deep artery of arm (also known as arteria profunda brachii and the deep brachial artery) is a large vessel which arises from the lateral and posterior part of the brachial artery, just below the lower border of the teres major. Structure It ...

, the

posterior ulnar recurrent artery The posterior ulnar recurrent artery is an artery in the forearm. It is one of two recurrent arteries that arises from the ulnar artery, the other being the anterior ulnar recurrent artery. The posterior ulnar recurrent artery being much larger t ...

and the

inferior ulnar collateral artery The inferior ulnar collateral artery (anastomotica magna artery) is an artery in the arm. It arises about 5 cm. above the elbow from the brachial artery. Course It passes medialward upon the Brachialis, and piercing the medial intermuscular s ...

. The posterior interosseous artery gives off many muscular arteries.

Additional images

File:Gray329.png, Left elbow-joint, showing anterior and ulnar collateral ligaments. File:Gray417_color.PNG, Cross-section through the middle of the forearm. File:Slide7PPPP.JPG, Posterior interosseous artery File:Slide11PPPP.JPG, Posterior interosseous artery File:Slide1VVVV.JPG, Posterior interosseous artery and nerve

References

External links

* * * - "Dorsum of the hand, deep dissection, posterior view" {{Authority control Arteries of the upper limb

Structure

Branches

Additional images

See also

References

External links