During routine dissection for first MBBS students on 65 year old donated embalmed male cadaver in the Department of Anatomy, K.J.Somaiya Medical College, Sion, Mumbai, India, we observed an unusual termination of the brachial artery above the elbow in the right upper limb. The brachial artery terminated into radial and ulnar arteries. The radial artery gave origin to the common interosseous artery in the cubital fossa which terminated into anterior and posterior interosseous arteries. The further course of the radial artery was normal. The variant ulnar artery travelled downwards and crossed the median nerve anteriorly in the cubital fossa and travelled obliquely below the palmaris longus muscle till it reached the ulnar nerve. The further course of the ulnar artery was normal. There were no associated altered anatomy of the nerves observed in the specimen. The variation was unilateral and the left upper limb of the same cadaver was normal. The photographs of the variations were taken for proper documentation and for ready reference. The embryological basis of the variation is presented. The knowledge of presence of the unusual high level trifurcation of brachial artery is clinically important for clinicians, surgeons, orthopaedicians and radiologists performing angiographic studies.
Abstract