Khaki Amir Afshin, Shoja M A Mohagjel, Khaki Arash
Department of Anatomy, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences and National Health Management Center [NPMC], Tabriz, Iran.
Ital J Anat Embryol. 2011;116(1):56-9.
Axillary artery is one of the most important arteries of the upper limb, which is a continua- tion of the subclavian artery. It begins at the lateral border of the first rib and ends at the inferior border of the teres major where it becomes the brachial artery. Axillary artery has six important branches included: 1) Superior thoracic artery 2) Thoracoacromial artery 3) Lateral thoracic artery 4) Subscapular artery 5) Posterior circumflex humeral artery 6) Anterior circumflex humeral artery. Subscapular artery arises from the third part of axillary artery normally and then divides into cir- cumflex scapular artery that extremely enters the triangular space. The other branch of subscapular artery, the thoracodorsal artery, accompanies thracodorsal nerve to lateral border of scapula and supplies and innervates that region. In this case the subscapular artery was absent in both sides and instead of that the circumflex scapular artery was directly derived from axillary artery and the thoracodorsal artery is separated from circumflex scapular artery as a thin and short branch, too. It seemed that the lateral thoracic artery, which was thicker than its normal condition, supplied the muscles of the lateral part of scapula and the thoracodorsal muscle. Other branches of the axillary artery demonstrated without any abnormally. Since axillary artery has the highest rate of rapture and damage coming after the popliteal artery, knowing the variations is important and essential for surgeons, radiologist and anatomist.
腋动脉是上肢最重要的动脉之一，它是锁骨下动脉的延续。它始于第一肋的外侧缘，止于大圆肌的下缘，在此处延续为肱动脉。腋动脉有六个重要分支，包括：1）胸上动脉；2）胸肩峰动脉；3）胸外侧动脉；4）肩胛下动脉；5）旋肱后动脉；6）旋肱前动脉。肩胛下动脉通常起自腋动脉的第三段，然后分为旋肩胛动脉，该动脉经三边孔进入。肩胛下动脉的另一分支胸背动脉，与胸背神经伴行至肩胛骨外侧缘，为该区域供血并支配该区域。在这种情况下，双侧肩胛下动脉缺如，取而代之的是旋肩胛动脉直接起自腋动脉，胸背动脉也作为一条细小的分支与旋肩胛动脉分离。似乎比正常情况更粗的胸外侧动脉为肩胛骨外侧部的肌肉和背阔肌供血。腋动脉的其他分支未显示出任何异常。由于腋动脉在腘动脉之后破裂和损伤的发生率最高，了解其变异对外科医生、放射科医生和解剖学家来说非常重要且必不可少。
