Variation in the origins of the branches of the axillary artery

Variability in the origin of certain branches of the axillary artery is frequently apparent when demonstrating the system in the dissecting room. The variations of these branches have not been entirely explained in previous studies, nor have the findings of these investigations been uniform. It is the purpose of this study to present the variations in origin of the branches of the axillary artery with a view to clarification of both the “regularity” and “variability” in these vessels.