Unilateral axillary arch and variations in the axillary vein and intercostal nerves: a case report

Knowledge of muscular, vascular, and neural variations in the axilla is of great clinical importance, especially in mastectomies, breast reconstruction, and axillary bypass operations. In the present paper, we report unilateral variations observed in the axillary region of a male cadaver. A fibromuscular axillary arch was observed on the right side. On the same side, there was a bifurcated axillary vein; a medial cutaneous nerve of the arm passed through and later ran beneath this axillary vein. In addition, the intercostobrachial nerve was absent on the right side. The clinical significance of the variations observed and their embryological basis are discussed in this paper.