Abnormal Branching Pattern of the Axillary Artery

Accurate knowledge of the normal and variant arterial pattern of the upper extremities is important for reparative surgeons. During dissection of a male cadaver, a common trunk taking origin from the third part of the axillary artery was observed. This common trunk at first gave rise to the usual branches of this part of the artery and then descended into the arm. In the arm, it gave rise to the main branches of the brachial artery and then continued as the inferior ulnar collateral artery. In this specimen, a rare pattern of auxiliary artery branching was observed. Numerous alternatives that exist during the formation of upper limb vessels seem to be responsible for anomalous arterial branching patterns.