The deep artery of arm (also known as deep brachial artery) is a large artery of the arm which arises from the

brachial artery The brachial artery is the major blood vessel of the (upper) arm. It is the continuation of the axillary artery beyond the lower margin of teres major muscle. It continues down the ventral surface of the arm until it reaches the cubital fossa ...

. It descends in the arm before ending by anastomosing with the radial recurrent artery.

Structure

Origin

The deep artery of arm arises from the posterolateral aspect of the

, just below the lower border of 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'', meanin ...

Course

It follows closely the

radial nerve The radial nerve is a nerve in the human body that supplies the posterior portion of the upper limb. It innervates the medial and lateral heads of the triceps brachii muscle of the arm, as well as all 12 muscles in the Posterior compartment of the ...

, running at first backward between the long and medial heads of the

triceps brachii 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 three parts: the medial, lateral, and long head. All three heads cross the elbow jo ...

, then along the groove for the

(the radial sulcus), where it is covered by the lateral head of the triceps brachii, to the lateral side of the arm; there it pierces the lateral intermuscular septum, and, descending between the

brachioradialis The brachioradialis is a muscle of the forearm that flexes the forearm at the elbow. It is also capable of both pronation and supination, depending on the position of the forearm. It is attached to the distal styloid process of the radius by way ...

and the brachialis to the front of the

lateral epicondyle of the humerus The lateral epicondyle of the humerus is a large, tuberculated eminence, curved a little forward, and giving attachment to the radial collateral ligament of the elbow joint, and to a tendon common to the origin of the supinator and some of the e ...

, ends by anastomosing with the radial recurrent artery.

Branches and anastomoses

It gives branches to the

deltoid muscle The deltoid muscle is the muscle forming the rounded contour of the shoulder, human shoulder. It is also known as the 'common shoulder muscle', particularly in other animals such as the domestic cat. Anatomically, the deltoid muscle is made up o ...

(which, however, primarily is supplied by the posterior circumflex humeral artery) and to the muscles between which it lies; it supplies an occasional

nutrient artery The nutrient artery (arteria nutricia, or central artery), usually accompanied by one or two nutrient veins, enters the bone through the nutrient foramen, runs obliquely through the cortex, sends branches upward and downward to the bone marrow, wh ...

which enters the

humerus The humerus (; : humeri) is a long bone in the arm that runs from the shoulder to the elbow. It connects the scapula and the two bones of the lower arm, the radius (bone), radius and ulna, and consists of three sections. The humeral upper extrem ...

behind the

deltoid tuberosity In human anatomy, the deltoid tuberosity is a rough, triangular area on the anterolateral (front-side) surface of the middle of the humerus. It is a site of attachment of deltoid muscle. Structure Variation The deltoid tuberosity has been r ...

. A branch ascends between the long and lateral heads of the

to anastomose with 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 medial collateral artery, a branch, descends in the middle head of the triceps brachii and assists in forming the anastomosis above the

olecranon The olecranon (, ), is a large, thick, curved bony process on the proximal, posterior end of the ulna. It forms the protruding part of the elbow and is opposite to the cubital fossa or elbow pit (trochlear notch). The olecranon serves as a lever ...

of the

ulna The ulna or ulnar bone (: ulnae or ulnas) is a long bone in the forearm stretching from the elbow to the wrist. It is on the same side of the forearm as the little finger, running parallel to the Radius (bone), radius, the forearm's other long ...

; and, lastly, a

radial collateral artery The radial collateral artery (another term for the anterior descending branch of the profunda brachii artery) is a branch of the deep brachial artery The deep artery of arm (also known as deep brachial artery) is a large artery of the arm which a ...

runs down behind the lateral intermuscular septum to the back of the lateral epicondyle of the humerus, where it anastomoses with the interosseous recurrent and the inferior ulnar collateral arteries.

Additional images

File:Gray525.png, The brachial artery. File:Gray529.png, Arteries of the back of the forearm and hand. File:Slide2OOO.JPG, Deep brachial artery File:Slide9SSS.JPG, Deep brachial artery

References

External links

* {{Authority control Arteries of the upper limb