Surgical Implications in Multiple Variants in the Axillary Artery

Abstract

The third segment of the axillary artery (TSAA) contributes crucial irrigation to muscles in mostly all compartments of the upper limb. Numerous studies have reported atypical branching patterns of the TSAA, which creates obstacles in operative assessments involving structures irrigated by this segment of the artery. In our current study, we observed three atypical branching patterns in the TSAA in which the subscapular artery gave rise to the posterior humeral circumflex artery and a second subscapular artery. In addition, a variant was found in the origin of the thoracodorsal artery; two collateral horizontal arteries irrigating the deep medial surface of the latissimus dorsi. Anatomical variants, not only in the axillary artery but in the whole body, have a remarkable importance in surgery as a whole and are a cause of the continuous adjustment of surgical standards and patient management. In this case report, we aim to evaluate these variants from a clinical perspective for the proper management of axillary traumas and pathologies.