The Evolution of Upper Extremity Vascular System for the Interventional Cardiologist: A 400-Million-Year Tale for Arm-Based Interventions.

Abstract

From the delicate fish fins to the highly specialized human arm, the vascular architecture of the "upper" extremity has undergone significant remodeling throughout vertebrate evolution. This fascinating journey leaves behind a complex anatomy and sometimes puzzling vascular variants that are difficult to interpret without evolutionary insight. With the rise of transradial interventions and antebrachial venous access for right heart catheterization, understanding this evolutionary context can offer the interventional cardiologist valuable awareness about the anatomical constraints and potentially hazardous variants encountered during procedures. This paper provides a reconstruction of the upper limb vascular anatomy from an evolutionary perspective, with a focus on its relevance to modern catheterization strategies.