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Thoracoacromial artery

Artery: Thoracoacromial artery

Branches of axillary artery, including thoracoacromial artery

The scapular and circumflex arteries. (Thoracoacromial branch of thoracoacromial labeled at upper right.)
Latin	arteria thoracoacromialis
Gray's	subject #149 588
Source	axillary artery
Dorlands/Elsevier	a_62/12159712

The thoracoacromial artery (acromiothoracic artery; thoracic axis) is a short trunk, which arises from the forepart of the axillary artery, its origin being generally overlapped by the upper edge of the Pectoralis minor.

1 Branches
2 Mnemonic
3 Additional images
4 References

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 mammary and with the lateral thoracic.
Acromial branch	Runs lateralward 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, 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

One mnemonic used to remember the four branches is "Cadavers Are Dead People".^[1]

Additional images

References

^ Mnemonic at medicalmnemonics.com 3425 1207 662

v • d • e List of arteries of upper limbs
Axillary	scapular anastomosis - 1st part superior thoracic - 2nd part thoracoacromial (deltoid branch)- lateral thoracic - 3rd part subscapular (circumflex scapular, thoracodorsal) - anterior humeral circumflex - posterior humeral circumflex
Brachial	profunda brachii (radial collateral, medial collateral) - superior ulnar collateral - inferior ulnar collateral
Radial	forearm: radial recurrent - palmar carpal branch - superficial palmar branch wrist: dorsal carpal branch (dorsal carpal arch, dorsal metacarpal, dorsal digital) hand: princeps pollicis - radial of index finger - deep palmar arch (palmar metacarpal)
Ulnar	forearm: anterior ulnar recurrent - posterior ulnar recurrent - common interosseous (anterior, posterior, recurrent) wrist: palmar carpal branch - dorsal carpal branch hand: superficial palmar arch (common palmar digital, proper palmar digital) - deep palmar branch - palmar carpal arch

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

Categories: Arteries | Upper limb anatomy | Thorax