Axillary Artery

The axillary artery is a continuation of the subclavian artery from the lateral edge of the 1st rib. It then runs through the axilla to the inner side of the collum chirurgicum humeri . From there it continues as the brachial artery . The axillary vein runs parallel to it, ventromedially from it.

The brachial plexus runs parallel to the artery, first dorsocranially, gradually surrounding it with its lateral, posterior and medius trunks.

It supplies the muscles bordering the fossa axillaris , the infraspinatus muscle , the deltoideus muscle , parts of the first two intercostals, the shoulder joint , the skin and, in women, part of the mammary gland.

Branches

Medially from the pectoralis minor

Rr. subscapulares – individual branches for the subscapularis muscle .

A. thoracica superior – to the first two intercostals and the upper part of the serratus anterior muscle .

A. thoracoacromialis – a short trunk emerging ventrally, in the depth of the trigonum clavipectorale (trigonum deltopectorale) transmits:

• R. acromialis – to the rete acromiale and to the shoulder joint.
• R. deltoideus – for the deltoideus muscle .
• Rr. pectoralis – for pectoralis major and pectoralis minor .
• R. clavicularis – for the subclavius ​​muscle .

Behind the pectoralis minor

Lateral thoracic artery – descends after the serratus anterior muscle, which it supplies (descends in front of the correspondingly descending thoracic longus nerve ), in women it sends rr. mammari laterales to the mammary gland.

Lateral from the pectoralis minor

Subscapular artery – through the axilla to the triangular space, where it divides into:

• A. thoracodorsalis – for the latissimus dorsi and teres major muscles .
• A. circumflexa scapulae – through the foramen omotricipitale to the m. infraspinatus , where it anastomoses with the a. suprascapularis (branch of the truncus thyrocervicalis arteriae subclaviae ).

A. circumflexa humeri anterior – a weaker artery, previously around the collum chirurgicum humeri to the shoulder joint and surrounding tendons.

A. circumflexa humeri posterior – stronger artery, backwards through the foramen humerotricipitale , around the collum chirurgicum humeri , for the deltoideus muscle , the triceps brachii muscle and the shoulder joint. Through the foramen humerotricipitale and around the collum chirurgicum humeri , it progresses together with the axillaris nerve .

Reference

1. CIHÁK, Radomír. Anatomy 3.  2nd ed. Prague: Grada Publishing, 2004. 692 pp.  ISBN 978-80-247-1132-4 .