Download the axilla - Deranged Physiology

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THE AXILLA
o
A PYRAMIDAL space: has a flat apex, 4 walls, and a base.
Superior border of scapula
APEX
First rib
Clavicle
POSTERIOR
WALL
Scapula
Subscapularis
Teres major
Clavipectoral fascia
LATERAL WALL
Intertubercular groove of
the humerus;
Thus also the tendon of
the long head of biceps
Pectoralis minor
ANTERIOR WALL
Pectoralis major
Anterior axillary fold
MEDIAL WALL
Chest wall and
serratus anterior
CONTENTS
• Axillary artery and its branches
• Axillary vein and its tributaries- brachial vein, basilic vein and thoracoepigastric vein
• Lymphatic vessels and axillary lymph nodes
• Cords and branches of the brachial plexus
BOUNDARIES
- Apex
o Cervicoaxillary canal; passageway into the neck
o Bounded by the 1st rib, clavicle, and superior edge of the scapula
o The vessel and nerve’s gateway into the arm
- Base
o Axillary fossa: fat, fascia, skin
- Anterior Wall–
o Pectoralis major, pectoralis minor, pectoral and clavipectoral fascia
o The inferior part is the anterior axillary fold
- Posterior wall –
o Scapula and subscapularis
o Inferior border is the teres major and latissmus dorsi
Medial wall –
- Rib cage, chest wall – ribs 1-4 and
the intercostal muscles
- Serratus anterior
Lateral wall –
- Narrow wall; intertubercular groove
of the humerus