Multiple variations of the arterial pattern in upper extremities: A case report and embryological pathogenesis

Abstract

During a routine dissection at the Department of Anatomy, Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, one cadaver was found to have multiple variations of the arteries of the upper limbs. The variations pertained to the course of the brachial artery as well as to its distribution. An unusual formation of the superficial palmar arch was observed in both upper limbs. The anatomical peculiarities encountered included: in the left upper limb-the brachioradial artery, which formed the superficial palmar arch by turning to the palmar side of the hand and connecting with the ulnar artery and in the right upper limb-a subscapular-circumflex humeral-deep brachial trunk that correlated with a high division of the brachial artery (in the upper third of the biceps brachii muscle), a large anastomosis between the radial and the ulnar artery, the presence of a persistent median artery, and the unusual formation of the superficial palmar arch, which was created by the median, ulnar, and radial arteries. In this report, we will trace the path of the axillary artery and its branches in detail and emphasize its embryological significance.