CADAVERIC STUDY ON LANGER’S AXILLARY ARCH

Dr. Suganya K. and *Dr. Meghala V.

ABSTRACT

Axilla is a pyramidal shaped fossa present in between the upper limb and trunk. Langer’s axillary arch is an important anatomical variant of the axillary region, connecting the latissimus dorsi and the pectoralis major muscle. Lack of awareness about this variant, may lead to complications while treating the patient among clinicians. In our study, seventy upper limbs in 35 embalmed cadavers were dissected and out of this three axillary arch variations were found in 2 cadavers, Out of which one male cadaver showed bilateral axillary arch variation and one female cadaver showed variation only in right axilla, which extended from lateral border of latissimus dorsi, crossing axillary neurovascular structures and getting inserted over brachial fascia. In conclusion, this study and literature overview point out the clinical importance of anatomical variant, Langer’s axillary arch. Its misidentification can lead to wrong diagnosis and surgical complications, which could easily be avoided by intimate anatomical knowledge of the axillary region and its most frequent variants.

Keywords: Langer’s axillary arch; Axillary region; Latissimus dorsi muscle; Pectoralis major muscle; Brachial fascia.