Bifurcating radial artery at the wrist: A case report

A bifurcation of the radial artery is a rare anomaly that may impact cannulation success, performing trans-radial coronary procedures, and using radial flaps for various maxillofacial procedures. We review reports of radial artery anomalies and compare to our case of a 63-year-old male who was found to have two adjacent pulsatile vessels where the radial artery was anticipated to lie. Ultrasound examination demonstrated that both vessels were branches of the radial artery which had bifurcated between the middle and distal thirds of the forearm. The lateral branch was successfully cannulated. Although various radial artery anomalies have been described, a bifurcating radial artery is a rare occurrence. Furthermore, a bifurcation occurring at the middle to distal forearm is less common than bifurcations occurring near the antecubital fossa. There are few reported cases of radial artery bifurcations that occur at the middle to distal forearm.