Subclavian artery
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Artery: Subclavian artery | |
|---|---|
| The arch of the aorta, and its branches. (Rt. subclavian is at upper left, and lft. subclavian is at upper right.) | |
| Schematic of the proximal aorta and its branches. The left subclavian artery is the fifth branch of the aorta and the third branch from the arch of the aorta. The right subclavian artery arises from the brachiocephalic artery (labeled 'innominate' on diagram). | |
| Latin | arteria subclavia |
| Gray's | subject #148 575 |
| Source | aortic arch (left) brachiocephalic (right) |
| Branches | vertebral artery internal thoracic artery thyrocervical trunk costocervical trunk |
| Vein | subclavian vein |
| MeSH | A07.231.114.839 |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | a_61/12156042 |
In human anatomy, the subclavian artery is a major artery of the upper thorax that mainly supplies blood to the head and arms. It is located below the clavicle, hence the name. There is a left subclavian and a right subclavian.
- On the left side of the body, the subclavian comes directly off the arch of aorta.
- On the right side of the body, the subclavian arises from the relatively short brachiocephalic artery (trunk) when it bifurcates into the subclavian and the right common carotid artery.
The usual branches of the subclavian on both sides of the body are the internal thoracic artery, the vertebral artery, the thyrocervical trunk, and the costocervical trunk. The subclavian becomes the axillary artery at the lateral border of the first rib.
Contents |
[edit] Course
From its origin, the subclavian artery travels laterally, passing between anterior and middle scalene muscles, with the anterior scalene (scalenus anterior) on its anterior side and the middle scalene (scalenus medius) on its posterior. This is in constrast to the subclavian vein, which travels anterior to the scalenus anterior. As the subclavian artery crosses the border of the first rib, it becomes the axillary artery.
[edit] Branches
- vertebral artery
- thyrocervical trunk
- internal thoracic artery
- costocervical trunk
- dorsal scapular artery
The subclavian artery continues as the axillary artery.
[edit] Embryology
Embryologically, the left subclavian simply arises from the left 7th intersegmental artery, while the right subclavian arises, proximal to distal:
- aortic arch IV
- right dorsal aorta (between the 4th and the 7th intersegmental arteries)
- right 7th intersegmental artery
[edit] Additional images
The thymus of a full-time fetus, exposed in situ. |
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Duke Orthopedics subclavian_artery
- GPnotebook 1926234172
- SUNY Figs 21:06-03
- Diagram of branches at informatics.jax.org
- Loyola
