Premium
Scapular Anastomoses: the Nature of Vascular Blood Flow Around the Scapula
Author(s) -
Obourn Chelsea Ann,
Qureshi Naema,
Márquez Samuel
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.23.1_supplement.820.2
Subject(s) - scapula , medicine , anatomy , neurovascular bundle , anastomosis , subclavian artery , clavicle , blood flow , artery , surgery , cardiology
Documenting normal variation of neurovascular structures continues to be of great value to the surgeon as they formulate and implement surgical strategies during pre‐operative preparation. Scapular anastomoses (SA) are a network of streams that generate variable arterial patterns of blood supply whose origins are from multiple sources (i.e., dorsal scapular, suprascapular and circumflex scapular arteries). These ensure adequate delivery of nutrients to the 17 scapular muscles. This study examined the arterial supply pattern of 19 scapulas (cadaveric material n=10 from College of Medicine at SUNY Downstate). The pattern of SA saw the majority of our sample (86.7%) exhibiting the typical pattern of branching as described in anatomy texts. An anastomosis of the dorsal scapular artery with an intercostal artery was observed in four specimens. One arterial pattern saw the suprascapular and dorsal scapular branching from the transverse scapular artery. Another variant saw two branches of the transverse cervical artery that looped around the clavicle joining together before bifurcating, with one targeting the trapezius muscle and the other forming the dorsal scapular. This study showed SA to be highly intricate arterial patterns connecting each subclavian and the corresponding axillary artery and allowing blood to flow past the joint regardless of the position of the arm. Grant Funding Source NA