Video: Axillary artery

Hello, again, everyone. It’s Matt from Kenhub. And in this tutorial, we will discuss the axillary artery.

The axillary artery is a direct continuation of the subclavian artery. It begins at the first rib. At the lower border of the teres major, it becomes the brachial artery.

Called the axillary artery because of its location. It courses behind the pectoralis major and lies in conjunction with the axillary vein and the medial cord of the brachial plexus.

The axillary artery is divided into three parts. It’s helpful for memorization to consider that the number of branches in each part match the part itself.

In the first part, it branches into the superior thoracic artery. In the second part, there are two branches – the thoracoacromial artery and the lateral thoracic artery. And in the third part, there are three branches – the subscapular artery, the anterior humeral circumflex artery, and the posterior humeral circumflex artery.

After the third part, it leaves the axilla at the lower border of the teres major and becomes the brachial artery.