Thoracoacromial artery
| Artery: Thoracoacromial artery | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Branches of axillary artery, including thoracoacromial artery | |
 | |
| The scapular and circumflex arteries. (Thoracoacromial branch of thoracoacromial labeled at upper right.) | |
| Latin | arteria thoracoacromialis |
| Gray's | subject #149 588 |
| Source | axillary artery |
| Dorlands / Elsevier |
a_62/12159712 |
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]
Overview
The thoracoacromial artery (acromiothoracic artery; thoracic axis) is a short trunk, which arises from the forepart of the axillary artery, its origin being generally overlapped by the upper edge of the Pectoralis minor.
Branches
Projecting forward to the upper border of the Pectoralis minor, it pierces the coracoclavicular fascia and divides into four branches—pectoral, acromial, clavicular, and deltoid.
| Branch | Description |
| Pectoral branch | Descends between the two Pectorales, and is distributed to them and to the mamma, anastomosing with the intercostal branches of the internal mammary and with the lateral thoracic. |
| Acromial branch | Runs lateralward over the coracoid process and under the Deltoideus, to which it gives branches; it then pierces that muscle and ends on the acromion in an arterial network formed by branches from the transverse scapular, thoracoacromial, and posterior humeral circumflex arteries. |
| Clavicular branch | Runs upward and medialward to the sternoclavicular joint, supplying this articulation, and the Subclavius. |
| Deltoid (humeral) branch | Often arising with the acromial, it crosses over the Pectoralis minor and passes in the same groove as the cephalic vein, between the Pectoralis major and Deltoideus, and gives branches to both muscles. |
Mnemonic
One mnemonic used to remember the four branches is "Cadavers Are Dead People".[1]
Additional images
The axillary artery and its branches.
References
External links
- Norman/Georgetown lesson2nerartveinspectregion
- SUNY Labs 04:07-0101 - "Pectoral Region: Thoracoacromial Artery and its Branches"
- SUNY Figs 05:04-12 - "The axillary artery and its major branches shown in relation to major landmarks."
- thoracoacromial+artery at eMedicine Dictionary
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
List of arteries of upper limbs | |
|---|---|
| Axillary | scapular anastomosis - 1st part superior thoracic - 2nd part thoracoacromial (deltoid branch) - lateral thoracic - 3rd part subscapular (circumflex scapular, thoracodorsal) - anterior humeral circumflex - posterior humeral circumflex |
| Brachial | profunda brachii (radial collateral, medial collateral) - ulnar collateral artery (superior, inferior) |
| Radial | forearm: radial recurrent
wrist/carpus: dorsal carpal branch - palmar carpal branch hand: superficial palmar branch - princeps pollicis (radial of index finger) |
| Ulnar | forearm: ulnar recurrent (anterior, posterior) - common interosseous (anterior, posterior, recurrent)
wrist/carpus: dorsal carpal branch - palmar carpal branch hand: deep palmar branch |
| Arches | dorsal carpal arch: dorsal metacarpal (dorsal digital)
superficial palmar arch: common palmar digital (proper palmar digital) deep palmar arch: palmar metacarpal |
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