Abstract
During the medical student’s training in the Anatomy we have studied the arterial constitutions of the superior limb in 100 bodies from the Laboratory of the Descriptive Anatomy of the Medical School, University of Athens.
We have examined the brachial artery and the superficial brachial artery. Superficial brachial artery is called the major artery that is found superficially of the middle nerve. Such an artery can either substitute or complete the brachial artery. For reasons of classification we took into account the arteries only and neglected the smaller branches. The superficial brachial artery often origins from the proximal part of the forearm and the clinical interest of this remark consists on the fact that this artery leads to the forearm, in front of the biceps brachial muscle’s aponeurosis. By this way it can easily be mistaken as a vein and an “intravenous” injection can be disastrous.
Our results were:
A. Only one brachial artery: 76%
The classic case of the books of Anatomy: the brachial artery is found opposite of the middle nerve, crossing under it at the upper arm: 74%
The middle nerve’s constitution is not the typical one at the armpit, but the artery crosses under it: 2%
B. Presence of one brachial artery only: 10% One brachial artery in front of the two radixes of the middle nerve: 2%
The major artery is found opposite of the radixes of the middle nerve, but crosses in front of it at the arm:4%
The dorsal artery is found behind the middle nerve from the dorsal part but comes over the nerve between the musculocutaneous and the middle nerve: 2%
There is not the typical constitution of the middle nerve from two radixes and the artery is found in front of the middle nerve:2%
C. Two major arterial branches: 14%
The axillary artery is divided in two branches one in frond of and the other behind of the radixes of the middle nerve: 5%
The brachial artery is divided in two branches one of which is found in frond of the middle nerve: 9%
The abstracts were prepared by Eleni Koutsoukou. Correspondence should be addressed to him at the Hellenic Association of Orthopaedic Surgery and Traumatology (HAOST), 20, A. Fleming str, 15123 Marousi, Athens, Greece.
