Thoracoacromial artery

Thoracoacromial artery

Branches of axillary artery, including thoracoacromial artery

The scapular and circumflex arteries. (Thoracoacromial branch of thoracoacromial labeled at upper right.)
Details
Latin arteria thoracoacromialis
Source
 axillary artery
Identifiers
Gray's p.588
Dorlands
/Elsevier		 a_62/12159712
TA A12.2.09.005
FMA 22671
Anatomical terminology

The thoracoacromial artery (acromiothoracic artery; thoracic axis) is a short trunk that 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 thoracic artery and with the lateral thoracic.
Acromial branch Runs laterally 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 (a.k.a. suprascapular), 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

Mnemonics used to remember the four branches are:

Additional images

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. ↑ MedicalMnemonics.com: 3425 1207 662
  2. ↑ MedicalMnemonics.com: 3425 1207 662

External links