Olojede S O, Mthembu K M, Magcaba N, Lawal S K, Azu O O, Naidu E C. The Axillary Artery and the Variations of its Branching Pattern in Kwazulu-Natal Populations: A Cadaveric Study. ASJ 2024; 21 (1)
URL:
http://anatomyjournal.ir/article-1-616-en.html
1- Walter Sisulu University, Nelson Mandela Drive, 5099, South Africa.
2- Discipline of Clinical Anatomy, School of Laboratory Medicine & Medical Sciences, Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
3- University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana.
4- Department of Medical Biosciences, University of the Western Cape.
Abstract: (127 Views)
Background: The Axillary artery (AA) is a major blood vessel located in the axilla and supplies the lateral thorax, upper limb as well as axilla through the six branches it gives off from its course. This artery exhibits variation in origin and branching patterns but its variations in laterality and sex remain underexplored, especially in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) population. This study aimed to document any possible anatomical variations in the origin of branches and the length of the axillary artery in the KZN population concerning sex and laterality.
Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 20 human cadavers of a white South African ethnic group (40 upper limbs), provided by the Discipline Clinical Anatomy at the University of KwaZulu Natal – Nelson R Mandela Medical School campus. Detailed dissection instructions were followed using the Grants dissector manual to carefully expose and examine the axillary artery’s variations in the origin of its branches and length.
Results: It was observed that the 3rd part of AA had the most frequent number of variations of 45% in both males and females. However, females had the greatest number of variations of 54.54% on the right side in the 3rd part. There were 3 types of variations that occurred mainly in the third part. The first part had the least number of variations. The length of the axillary artery varied between sex and laterality, but females had a longer average length of 129.10 mm in this study.
Conclusion: This study reveals that the variations of AA in origin and branching patterns differ with laterality and are sexually dimorphic, a finding that could assist surgeons and radiologists in avoiding any pitfalls and complications of procedures done in the axilla.
Type of Study:
Original |
Subject:
Gross Anatomy Received: 2024/03/10 | Accepted: 2025/04/29 | Published: 2024/04/14