[The dorsal arterial system of the thumb].

The dorsal arterial system of the thumbs' column is formed by two groups, one of which is lateral and the other medial to the tendon of the pollicis extensor longus. Both groups have several arteries, the territories of which are anastomosed. The proximal lateral arteries consist of the palmar thenar artery, the scaphothenar, the trapezothenar artery and the dorsal metacarpal artery. The proximal medial arteries consist of the branches of the radial artery or the collateral dorsal artery of the index. The distal lateral and medial arteries are branches of the proximal arteries or the palmar arteries of the thumb. Each artery can play a prominent role and can give a collateral artery to the thumb. An anastomosis between distal and proximal arteries is found in more than 40% of the cases and forms the long apparatus, described by the classics.