A Thick Anastomotic Vein Between Cephalic and Lateral Radial Veins: Clinical Significance of an Unusual Variation

This study presents a thick anastomosis between the cephalic vein and lateral radial vein which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been reported before in the literature. During routine cadaver dissection in the right upper extremity of a 54-year-old male cadaver; in the anterior cubital region, a very thick anastomotic branch was found by piercing the deep fascia, going upwards and laterally, and joining the cephalic vein. Deep dissection results showed that this branch provided an anastomosis between the lateral radial vein and cephalic vein. Despite that variations of superficial veins in the upper extremity are common, the presence of a branch connecting deep and superficial veins is a rare situation. It is well known that veins in the cubital fossa are essential in traditional diagnosis and treatment procedures. Arteriovenous fistula procedure is a widely used method applied by creating a fistula between the cephalic vein or basilic vein and the brachial artery to provide vascular access for hemodialysis in patients with chronic renal failure. Drainage of the lateral radial vein into the cephalic vein through a thick branch, as determined in this case, may disrupt venous drainage in the forearm in an arteriovenous fistula procedure performed between the cephalic vein and the brachial artery. On the other hand, in such a case, if the basilic vein is preferred for this procedure, it is thought that the rate of impairment of venous drainage may be less.