Axillary Artery

and its
Relations

A Presentation by:

Speaker : Suryansh Shah(183)

Co-Speaker : Aniruddh
Krishna(024)
Overview
1)The axillary artery is a large muscular vessel that
travels through axilla.
2)It is responsible for carrying oxygen rich blood to-
a)Upper limb
b)Parts of musculocutaneous system of scapula
c)Upper lateral thorax
Course : Axillary Artery
 Continuation of subclavian artery
 Extends from outer border of 1st rib upto lower
border of Teres
major muscle
 Continues as brachial artery
 Closely related to brachial plexus cords
 Pectoralis minor muscle divides the artery into 3
parts
Branches
 1st part:
Superior Thoracic artery
 2nd part:
Acromiothoracic artery
Lateral Thoracic artery
 3rd part:
Subscapular artery
Ant circumflex humeral artery
Post circumflex humeral artery
• Superior Thoracic A:
o Small branch
o Between Pect. Major & Minor
o Supplies them & thoracic wall
Acromiothoracic artery
> Given at upper border of pect. minor
> Four terminal branches:
1. Pectoral – supplies pectoral muscles as well
as breast
2. Deltoid -
3. Acromial - joins the anastomosis over
acromian process
4. Clavicular – supplies sternoclavicular joint
and subclavius
Lateral Thoracic artery
• Given at Lower border of pect. minor
• Ant. axillary LN lies along it
• Larger in females, supplies breast tissue
Subscapular artery
 Largest branch
Runs along Lower border of subscapularis
Terminates near inferior angle of scapula
Gives Circumflex Scapular Artery-
 Passes through triangular intermuscular space
 Winds around lateral border of scapula, deep to teres
minor
 Takes part in anastomosis around scapula
Ant Circumflex humeral Artery
 Given at the lower border of subscapularis
 Winds around surgical neck of humerus
 Anastomoses with post circumflex humeral Artery
 Ascending branch
Post Circumflex humeral Artery
 Larger
 Runs backward, through quadrangular space along
with
Axillary N
 Supplies shoulder joint, Deltoid mus.
Relations of First Part
 Anteriorly
(i) Skin.
(ii) Superficial fascia
(iii) Deep fascia.
(iv) Clavicular part of the pectoralis major.
(v) Clavipectoral fascia with cephalic vein,
lateral pectoral nerve, and thoracoacromial
vessels.
 Posteriorly
(i) First intercostal space with the external
intercostal muscle.
(ii) First and second digitations of the serratus
anterior with
the nerve to serratus anterior.
(iii) Medial cord of brachial plexus with its
medial pectoral
branch
 laterally
 Lateral and posterior cords of the brachial plexus.
 Medially
 Axillary vein
 The first part of the axillary artery is enclosed
(together with
the brachial plexus) in the axillary sheath, derived
from the
prevertebral layer of deep cervical fascia.
Relations of Second Part
Anteriorly
 (i) Skin.
 (ii) Superficial fascia.
 (iii) Deep fascia.
 (iv) Pectoralis major.
 (v) Pectoralis minor
• Posteriorly
 (i) Posterior cord of brachial plexus.
 (ii) subscapularis
Medially
 (i) Medial cord of brachial plexus,
 (ii) Medial pectoral nerve,
 (iii) Axillary vein.
• Laterally
 Lateral cord of brachial plexus.
Relations of Third Part
 Anteriorly
 (i) Skin.
 (ii) Superficial fascia, (iii) Deep fascia.
 (iv) In the upper part there are the pectoralis major and
medial
root of the median nerve.
 Posteriorly
 (i) Radial nerve.
 (ii) Axillary nerve in the upper part, (iii) Subscapularis in the
upper part, (iv) Tendons of the latissimus dorsi and the teres
major in the lower part.
 Laterally
(i) Coracobrachialis.
(ii) Musculocutaneous nerve in the upper part,
(iii) Lateral root of median nerve in the upper part,
(iv) Trunk of median nerve in the lower part.
 Medially
 (i) Axillary vein,
 (ii) Medial cutaneous nerve of the forearm and
ulnar nerve
 (iii) Medial cutaneous nerve of arm
Applied
 Axial artery pulsastion can be felt against
the lower part of the lateral wall of axilla
In order to check bleeding from the distal part of
limb
- The artery can be compressed against the
humerus in the
lower part of the lateral wall of axilla