Abstract:
Background
Lately, the radial artery has been increasingly used in coronary angiography and in cases when its diameter is
too small, or there occurs a spasm after the introduction of the contrast medium, the axillary artery is used. In order
to avoid injury to the brachial plexus during catheterization of the axillary artery, it is necessary to know both the
anatomo-topographic peculiarities and its morphometric parameters.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the morphometric parameters of the axillary artery and of its branches
depending on gender and constitutional type.
Material and methods
The upper limb arteries were studied on 210 angiographies of both genders, taken from the database of the
Euromed Diagnostic Medical Center, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova.
By determining the proportionality index of the humerus thickness/length, three constitutional types were
established. Using the RadiAnt DICOM Viewer 3.42 software, the length of the axillary artery, its proximal/distal
internal diameter, as well as the proximal internal diameter of all its branches were determined.
Results
The mean length of the axillary artery was 8.69±0.15 cm; in males – 8.98±0.18 cm, in females – 8.25±0.25
cm. The proximal internal diameter of the axillary artery was 7.82±0.16 mm, and the distal one – 6.38±0.14 mm;
depending on gender, its proximal diameter was 8.08±0.20 mm in males and 7.40±0.24 mm in females, and the distal
one – 6.6±0.19 mm in males and 6.03±0.20 mm in females.
Conclusions
Advanced imaging methods have the capacity for precise description of the individual peculiarities of the axillary
artery morphometric parameters.
