Anatomy of the Basilic Vein in the Arm and Its Importance for Surgery

The anatomy of the basilic vein in the arm is described. Twenty-six arms from 13 cadavers were studied. A comparative analysis, which included the number of valves and measurement of the diameter of the basilic vein at three different points in the arm, was done. The basilic vein was always present and single. In its superficial segment, this vein was joined by the intermediate cubital vein in 69.8%(19/26) of the cases, by the intermediate basilic vein in 23.1% (6/26) and by the intermediate vein of the forearm in 3.8% (1/26). The basilic vein perforated the brachial fascia in the lower or mid third of the arm. The deep segment of the vein ran alone up to the inferior border of the m. teres major in 23.1% (6/26) of the cases, and joined the medial brachial vein in 53.8% (14/26), on the brachial vein in 23.1% (6/26) before forming the axillary vein. The valves were predominantly bicuspid (89.3%) and were equally distributed between superficial (48.5%) and deep (51.5%) segments of the basilic vein. These findings indicate that the basilic vein of the arm is anatomically compatible for use in arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysis. The superficial segment of this vein may also be used in general, vascular and endovascular surgery to introduce a catheter above