Guillermo Salgado; Oscar Inzunza; Javier Rodríguez; Romina Soza & Mario Cantín

Summary

Variations of the upper limb arterial system are an important consideration due to the large number of invasive, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in this region. We report a rare variant of the superficial brachial artery (SBA) found bilaterally in the upper limbs. In both limbs the SBA desending superficial and lateral of median nerve, and medial to the short head of bicep brachii muscle. Right SBA finished in the cubital fossa joined the deep brachial artery in a common trunk, a rare anatomical variation of island type, while the left SBA finished in the forearm and radial artery. The unilateral presence of the SBA reported with relative frequency, but a bilateral variation is extremely rare. The relevance of embryology, and clinical incidence of this anatomical variation are discussed.

KEY WORDS: Superficial brachial artery; Brachial artery; Upper limb; Arterial variation.

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