The circumflex scapular

artery An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pu ...

(scapular circumflex artery, dorsalis scapulae artery) is a branch of the

subscapular artery The subscapular artery, the largest branch of the axillary artery, arises from the third part of the axillary artery at the lower border of the subscapularis muscle, which it follows to the inferior angle of the scapula, where it anastomoses w ...

and part of the scapular anastomoses. It curves around the axillary border of the scapula, traveling through the anatomical " Triangular space" made up of the

Teres minor The teres minor (Latin ''teres'' meaning 'rounded') is a narrow, elongated muscle of the rotator cuff. The muscle originates from the lateral border and adjacent posterior surface of the corresponding right or left scapula and inserts at both the ...

superiorly, the

Teres major The teres major muscle is a muscle of the upper limb. It attaches to the scapula and the humerus and is one of the seven scapulohumeral muscles. It is a thick but somewhat flattened muscle. The teres major muscle (from Latin ''teres'', meaning ...

inferiorly, and the long head of the

Triceps The triceps, or triceps brachii (Latin for "three-headed muscle of the arm"), is a large muscle on the back of the upper limb of many vertebrates. It consists of 3 parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. It is the muscle principally responsib ...

laterally. It enters the

infraspinatous fossa The infraspinous fossa (infraspinatus fossa or infraspinatous fossa) of the scapula is much larger than the supraspinatous fossa; toward its vertebral margin a shallow concavity is seen at its upper part; its center presents a prominent convex ...

under cover of the

, and

anastomoses An anastomosis (, plural anastomoses) is a connection or opening between two things (especially cavities or passages) that are normally diverging or branching, such as between blood vessels, leaf veins, or streams. Such a connection may be norm ...

with the transverse scapular artery (suprascapular) and the descending branch of the transverse cervical (a.k.a.

dorsal scapular artery The transverse cervical artery (transverse artery of neck or transversa colli artery) is an artery in the neck and a branch of the thyrocervical trunk, running at a higher level than the suprascapular artery. Structure It passes transversely b ...

Branches

In its course it gives off two branches: * one (infrascapular) enters the subscapular fossa beneath the Subscapularis, which it supplies, anastomosing with the transverse scapular artery and the descending branch of the transverse cervical. * the other is continued along the axillary border of the scapula, between the

and minor, and at the dorsal surface of the

inferior angle The scapula (plural scapulae or scapulas), also known as the shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus (upper arm bone) with the clavicle (collar bone). Like their connected bones, the scapulae are paired, with each scapula on either ...

anastomosis with the descending branch of the transverse cervical (dorsal scapular). In addition to these, small branches are distributed to the back part of the Deltoid and the long head of the Triceps brachii, anastomosing with an ascending branch of the deep artery of arm.

References

External links

* - "Triangular Space of Scapular Region" * - "Major Branches of the Axillary Artery" * - "The axillary artery and its major branches shown in relation to major landmarks." * {{Authority control Arteries of the upper limb