The anastomotic artery connecting the axillary or brachial artery to one of the forearm arteries.

A vessel connecting the axillary or brachial artery to one of the forearm arteries was found in a 65 year old male cadaver, during the gross anatomy dissection of the upper extremity of 20 adult cadavers at the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Louisiana State University Medical Center. The right radial artery originated from the brachial artery nearly at the usual level and was connected to the axillary or brachial artery by a long slender anastomotic artery (vasa aberrantia). The anastomotic artery coursed under the medial side of the biceps muscle between the median and musculocutaneous nerves, and gave off two muscular branches to the biceps muscle. The anastomotic artery coursed between the median and musculocutaneous nerves in the arm, it passed to the forearm under the bicipital aponeurosis and connected the main radial artery on the radial side of the forearm. The anastomotic artery can be explained on the basis of its embryologic development and also ought to be distinguished from the other common arterial variations in the upper extremity.