VARIATIONS IN THE ORIGIN OF PROFUNDA BRACHII ARTERY FROM BRACHIAL ARERTY-SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Abstract

Objective: The profunda brachii artery (PBA) is a chief artery in anterior compartment of the arm for the nutritional source. Knowledge of variations in the origin and branching is helpful for the surgeon during catheterization and harvesting of lateral flaps. Methods: During the routine dissection for medical undergraduate students we found variations in the branching pattern of PBA in 72 arms from 36 cadavers in the Department of Anatomy, Viswabharathi Medical College, Penchikalapadu, and Kurnool, over 5 years. We preserved all the variations carefully. Results: We observed PBA in all the cadavers, patterns of origin, branches, and termination were recorded. In 96.9% of cadavers artery arises from the brachial artery (BA), in 1.4% from the axillary artery, and in 1.7% cadavers from a common stem with the superior ulnar collateral arteries. In 11.1% and 16.7% of the cadavers showed duplication and early branching. Conclusion: Humeral fractures and BA catheterization the incidence of duplication and early branching make it vulnerable to inadvertent injury and may complicate lateral arm flaps. Pre-operative angiographic evaluation is therefore recommended.