The anterior humeral circumflex artery (anterior circumflex artery, anterior circumflex humeral artery) is an

artery An artery () is a blood vessel in humans and most other animals that takes oxygenated blood away from the heart in the systemic circulation to one or more parts of the body. Exceptions that carry deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary arteries in ...

in the

arm In human anatomy, the arm refers to the upper limb in common usage, although academically the term specifically means the upper arm between the glenohumeral joint (shoulder joint) and the elbow joint. The distal part of the upper limb between ...

. It is one of two circumflexing arteries that branch from the

axillary artery In human anatomy, the axillary artery is a large blood vessel that conveys oxygenated blood to the lateral aspect of the thorax, the axilla (armpit) and the upper limb. Its origin is at the lateral margin of the first rib, before which it is c ...

, the other being the

posterior humeral circumflex artery The posterior humeral circumflex artery (posterior circumflex artery or posterior circumflex humeral artery) arises from the third part of the axillary artery at the distal border of the subscapularis. Anatomy Course and relations It passes p ...

. The anterior humeral circumflex artery is considerably smaller than the posterior and arises nearly opposite to it, from the lateral side of the axillary artery.

Anatomy

Course and relations

The anterior humeral circumflex artery passes horizontally posterior to the

coracobrachialis muscle The coracobrachialis muscle muscle in the upper medial part of the arm. It is located within the anterior compartment of the arm. It originates from the coracoid process of the scapula; it inserts onto the middle of the medial aspect of the body ...

and short head of the

biceps brachii muscle The biceps or biceps brachii (, "two-headed muscle of the arm") is a large muscle that lies on the front of the upper arm between the shoulder and the elbow. Both Muscle head, heads of the muscle arise on the scapula and join to form a single ...

, in and anterior to of the

surgical neck of the humerus The surgical neck of the humerus is a bony constriction at the proximal end of shaft of humerus. It is situated distal to the greater tubercle and lesser tubercle, and proximal to the deltoid tuberosity. Clinical significance The surgical nec ...

. Upon reaching the intertubercular sulcus, it gives off an ascending branch which ascends along the sulcus to supply the head of the humerus and the

shoulder-joint The shoulder joint (or glenohumeral joint from Greek ''glene'', eyeball, + -''oid'', 'form of', + Latin ''humerus'', shoulder) is structurally classified as a synovial ball-and-socket joint and functionally as a diarthrosis and multiaxial joint ...

. It continues laterally, deep to the long head of the biceps brachii and the deltoideus muscle, before anastomosing with the posterior humeral circumflex artery.

Anatomy

Course and relations

Additional images

See also

References

External links