To determine the course of the axillary nerve, it is useful to identify the course of the posterior humeral circumflex artery that runs along the nerve using a handheld ultrasound blood flowmeter and ultrasound diagnostic equipment

• Published in: Structure and Function Vol. 8; no. 2; pp. 59 - 65
• Main Authors: Hara, Yuriko, Kurokawa, Kana, Urai, Tamae, Okuwa, Mayumi, Nakatani, Toshio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Co-medical Research Society of Structure and Function 2010
• Subjects: axillary nerve; deltoid muscle; intramuscular injection; posterior humeral circumflex artery
• ISSN: 1347-7145; 1884-6084
• DOI: 10.11172/keitaikinou.8.59

In our previous studies, we determined the course of the axillary nerve in cadavers and projected these finings on the skin covering the deltoid muscle. Since the posterior humeral circumflex artery runs anatomically along the nerve, in the present study, we examined whether this information could be useful to facilitate detection of the axillary nerve living bodies by detecting the blood flow of the artery using a handhold ultrasound blood flowmeter and ultrasound diagnostic equipment. As a result, the sound of blood flow and the image of the artery were demonstrated adjacent to the course of the axillary nerve, although it was difficult to directly visualize the axillary nerve by this method. This indicates that the method of determining the course of the axillary nerve in a cadaver can be adapted to the living body as well. To ascertain the course of the axillary nerve, it is useful to identify the course of the posterior humeral circumflex artery using an ultrasound blood flowmeter and ultrasound diagnostic equipment.