Anatomical Variation in Branching Pattern of Axillary Artery

Abstract

We discovered a variation in the branching pattern of the right axillary artery during routine dissection of an approximately 60-year-old male cadaver for postgraduate and undergraduate medical students at the postgraduate institute of ayurveda dr sarvepalli radhakrishnan rajasthan ayurved university Jodhpur. The second part of the axillary artery gave rise to thoracoacromial artery and a shared trunk that split into the subscapular and lateral thoracic arteries. The anterior and posterior circumflex humeral arteries were formed by the third part of the right axillary artery. Variations in the branching pattern of the axillary artery are essential for cardiovascular surgeons doing interventional or diagnostic operations.

Introduction

The axillary artery, a continuation of the subclavian artery, extends from the outer border of the first rib to the lower border of the teres major muscle, where it becomes the brachial artery. It is divided into three parts by the pectoralis minor muscle, with each part typically giving rise to specific branches. Normally, the first part gives the superior thoracic artery; the second part gives the thoracoacromial and lateral thoracic arteries; and the third part gives the subscapular, anterior circumflex humeral, and posterior circumflex humeral arteries.

This case report describes a rare variation observed during cadaveric dissection of a 60-year-old male. On the right side, the first part of the axillary artery gave rise to the superior thoracic artery as usual. However, the second part gave rise to the thoracoacromial artery and a common trunk that divided into the lateral thoracic and subscapular arteries. The third part gave rise to the anterior and posterior circumflex humeral arteries. The left axillary artery and both subclavian and brachial arteries showed normal branching. This specific branching variation has not previously been reported in radiological studies.

The discussion highlights that variations in axillary artery branching are relatively common, with prior studies documenting different origins and common trunks involving the subscapular and circumflex humeral arteries. The observed variation may result from developmental abnormalities in the embryonic vascular network. Clinically, such variations are important during surgical procedures, including axillary–subclavian bypass, aneurysm repair, and trauma management, as unusual branching patterns can complicate surgical planning and reconstruction.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Dr. Khushboo Sharma, Dr. Harsh Sharma. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.