Quick Facts
Origin: Axillary artery (third part).
Course: From the inferior border of the subscapularis muscle to inferior scapular angle.
Branches: Circumflex scapular and the thoracodorsal arteries.
Supplied Structures: Scapular and deltoid regions.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The subscapular artery arises from the axillary artery, at the level of the distal edge of the subscapularis muscle. In about 20% of individuals, the posterior circumflex humeral and subscapular arteries originate from a common trunk (Tubbs, Shoja and Loukas, 2016).
Course
The subscapular artery is the largest branch of the axillary artery and has a short inferior course of approximately 4 cm.
Branches
The terminal branches of the subscapular artery are the circumflex scapular and thoracodorsal arteries.
Supplied Structures
The subscapular artery supplies the subscapularis muscles and the scapular region via its terminal branches.
References
Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M. and Loukas, M. (2016) Bergman's Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation. Wiley.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Artery
Arteries are vessels transporting blood between heart, tissues, and other organs in order to supply them with nutrition and oxygen.
