open access
Rare high branching pattern from the first part of the right axillary artery
- Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
- Center for Anatomical Science and Education, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
- Department of Surgery, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, United States
open access
Abstract
A 77-year-old female cadaver was observed to have a rare branching pattern of the right axillary artery (AA). The first part of the AA typically gives off only a superior thoracic artery (STA) but was observed to give off three branches in the case: a lateral thoracic artery (LTA), a thoracoacromial trunk, and a large common trunk (CT). The LTA travelled to provide a variant STA to the 1st and 2nd intercostal spaces. The CT provided an accessory LTA and accessory thoracodorsal artery before bifurcating into a subscapular artery (SA) and posterior humeral circumflex artery. As expected, the SA further divided into the circumflex scapular artery and thoracodorsal artery. A pectoral artery and the anterior humeral circumflex artery originated directly from the second and third parts of the AA, respectively. Knowledge of AA branching variations is of great clinical significance to anatomists, radiologists, and surgeons due to the high rate of injury to this artery.
Abstract
A 77-year-old female cadaver was observed to have a rare branching pattern of the right axillary artery (AA). The first part of the AA typically gives off only a superior thoracic artery (STA) but was observed to give off three branches in the case: a lateral thoracic artery (LTA), a thoracoacromial trunk, and a large common trunk (CT). The LTA travelled to provide a variant STA to the 1st and 2nd intercostal spaces. The CT provided an accessory LTA and accessory thoracodorsal artery before bifurcating into a subscapular artery (SA) and posterior humeral circumflex artery. As expected, the SA further divided into the circumflex scapular artery and thoracodorsal artery. A pectoral artery and the anterior humeral circumflex artery originated directly from the second and third parts of the AA, respectively. Knowledge of AA branching variations is of great clinical significance to anatomists, radiologists, and surgeons due to the high rate of injury to this artery.
Keywords
artery, upper limb vasculature, axillary artery, variation
Title
Rare high branching pattern from the first part of the right axillary artery
Journal
Issue
Vol 83, No 1 (2024): Folia Morphologica
Article type
Case report
Pages
215-220
Published online
2023-01-17
Page views
413
Article views/downloads
261
DOI
Pubmed
Bibliographic record
Folia Morphol 2024;83(1):215-220.
Keywords
artery
upper limb vasculature
axillary artery
variation
Authors
Ahmad O. Odeh
Shivika Ahuja
Sania V. Karir
Felicia D. Lee
Young T. Lee
Zoe I. Henkes
Larry F. Yang
Dane A. Meyer
Daniel T. Daly
Yun Tan
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