Unilateral Variant Branching Pattern of Brachial Plexus and Axillary Artery

Address for Correspondence: Dr. Yogesh Sontakke, Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Academic Centre, JIPMER, Puducherry, India. 605006. Mobile: 7489164644 E-Mail: [email protected] Anatomical knowledge of variations of brachial plexus and the axillary artery is very vital in surgeries of axilla and shoulder. In an adult male cadaver, during routine Anatomy dissection, we found a common cord instead of usual medial cord and lateral cord in the right brachial plexus. This common cord gave a branch to coracobrachialis, lateral and medial roots of the median nerve, ulnar nerve, medial cutaneous nerve of arm and forearm and single branch to pectoral muscles. Median nerve gave a branch in the arm to supply biceps brachii, brachialis muscle and continued as lateral cutaneous nerve of forearm. The right axillary artery was also found variant. Its first usual branch, i.e., superior thoracic artery aroused from second part instead of first part of the axillary artery. An additional branch from its second part supplied the pectoralis minor muscle. An additional trunk from second part divided into the lateral thoracic artery and also supplied the subscapularis muscle. Because of clinical significance, knowledge of such possible variations may be obliging for physicians and radiologists.