Dorsal scapular artery

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Artery: Dorsal scapular artery
The scapular and circumflex arteries.
Superficial and deep branches from the transverse cervical artery.
Latin arteria dorsalis scapulae
Gray's subject #148
Supplies latissimus dorsi, levator scapulae, rhomboids, trapezius
Source subclavian or transverse cervical[1]   
Vein dorsal scapular vein
Dorlands
/ Elsevier    		 a_61/12154200

The dorsal scapular artery (or descending scapular artery[2]) is a blood vessel which supplies the latissimus dorsi, levator scapulae, rhomboids,[3] and trapezius.

Contents

[edit] Origin

It most frequently arises from the subclavian artery (the second or third part)[2], but a quarter of the time it arises from the transverse cervical artery.[4] In that case, the artery is also known as the deep branch of the transverse cervical artery.[5]

[edit] Path

It passes beneath the levator scapulae to the superior angle of the scapula, and then descends under the rhomboid muscles along the vertebral border of the scapula as far as the inferior angle.

[edit] See also

[edit] Additional images

Superficial dissection of the right side of the neck, showing the carotid and subclavian arteries.

[edit] References

  1. ^ dorsal+scapular+artery at eMedicine Dictionary
  2. ^ a b ii/s/scapular_artery_dorsal article at GE's Medcyclopaedia
  3. ^ Huelke DF (1962). "The dorsal scapular artery--a proposed term for the artery to the rhomboid muscles". Anat. Rec. 142: 57–61. PMID 14449723. 
  4. ^ Reiner A, Kasser R (1996). "Relative frequency of a subclavian vs. a transverse cervical origin for the dorsal scapular artery in humans.". Anat Rec 244 (2): 265–8. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1097-0185(199602)244:2<265::AID-AR14>3.0.CO;2-N. PMID 8808401. 
  5. ^ r_02/12691807 at Dorland's Medical Dictionary

[edit] External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.

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List of arteries of head and neck
CC/EC
cervical branches (ascending palatine, tonsillar, submental, glandular) - facial branches (inferior labial, superior labial/nasal septum, lateral nasal, angular)
CC/IC
orbital group: posterior ethmoidal - anterior ethmoidal (anterior septal, anterior lateral nasal, anterior meningeal) - lacrimal (lateral palpebral) - medial palpebral - terminal (supraorbital, supratrochlear, dorsal nasal)
ocular group: central retinal - ciliary (short posterior, long posterior, anterior) - hypophysial (superior, inferior)
SC
meningeal - spinal (posterior, anterior) - cerebellar (PICA)
basilar: pontine - labyrinthine - cerebellar (AICA, SCA) - cerebral (PCA)
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