Morphometric Analysis of the Radial Artery in a Select White South African Donor Cohort

The radial artery is a vital access point for various cardiovascular and neurological interventions yet detailed morphometric studies in African populations are limited. This study aimed to investigate the radial artery dimensions in thirty adult body donors housed in the Department of Clinical Anatomy, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. The external and internal diameters, along with wall thickness of the radial artery, were measured at three anatomical sites viz. the point of origin, at the wrist joint and in the anatomical snuffbox bilaterally using a digital vernier calliper in sixty upper limb specimens (BREC/00006978/2024). There was a progressive distal tapering pattern, with the external diameters of the radial artery decreasing from its point of origin to the anatomical snuffbox. The internal diameter of the radial artery was 2.98 ± 0.76 mm at the origin, 2.20 ± 0.75 mm at the wrist joint and 1.75 ± 0.69 mm in the anatomical snuffbox. The wall thickness of the radial artery also decreased distally, from its point of origin to the anatomical snuffbox. There were no statistically significant differences between biological sex or laterality. The internal radial artery diameters suggest that a 5 French (5Fr) sheath may be suitable in 32% of upper limbs at the wrist and in 38% of upper limbs in the anatomical snuffbox. The findings of this study can contribute to the existing knowledge in this field and may help clinicians during cardiovascular and neurological interventional procedures within this select sample.