Bilaterally symmetrical congenital absence of radial artery: a case report

BACKGROUND: The radial artery is used for the access of coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention, as well as for coronary artery bypass surgery. Variations of upper limb arteries are common, however, congenital absence of radial artery is scarce, and most cases were unilateral radial artery absence. CASE PRESENTATION: During a coronary angiography of a 43-year-old man, we encountered a very rare bilateral congenital absence of the radial artery. For both arms, the radial arteries were not observed and the ulnar arteries were small in size, while anterior interosseous arteries were found to be the dominant artery. Coronary angiography and percutaneous coronary intervention were performed via the brachial artery since transradial percutaneous coronary intervention failed. CONCLUSION: The highlight of this case is that it could be the first case to be reported with bilateral absence of radial artery in adults.