Upper limb arterial development theories used to explain arterial variations in adults

Abstract

The formation of the upper limb arterial pattern takes place in several stages during the embryonic development. The arterial variations observed in the adult population are thought to occur during the developmental stages because of the primitive arteries failing to form or recede, as well as unusual origins of native vessels. Two contrasting theories of upper limb arterial development have been suggested, one by Singer, 1933 who suggested that the upper limb arteries develop from a single axial trunk, and the other by Rodriguez-Niedenfuhr et al., 2001 who suggested that the upper limb arteries develop from a capillary plexus. While the two theories describe the development process differently, the two theories are cited in an interchangeable manner, raising questions about which of the two theories is accepted as correct by the authors. This review seeks to record and compare the utilization of both theories. A literature search for articles and case reports between 2002 and 2022 was conducted, using several search engines, including ResearchGate, Google Scholar, PubMed, Medscape and Science Direct. 38 articles were used in this review. The chi-square test did not pick up any significant differences in the use of the two theories (P=0.223). We conclude that neither of the two theories is preferred by authors as they are almost equally cited. These results suggest that confusion remains as to which of the two theories is accepted. Further research on the upper limb arterial development is necessary to establish the accuracy of the two existing theories.