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Blood flow changes of the anterior humeral circumflex artery decrease with the scapula in internal rotation

  • Shoulder
  • Published:
Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy Aims and scope

Abstract

Purpose

Poor posture is strongly related to scapular kinematics and shoulder diseases. The purpose of this study was to clarify the blood flow changes of the anterior and posterior humeral circumflex arteries in reference to the scapular position and to clarify anatomical features related to the changes in blood flow.

Methods

Cadaveric shoulders were dissected to elucidate the anatomical difference between the two arteries. The blood flow of these arteries in healthy volunteers (22–48 years, 113 shoulders) was evaluated by MRI with changing the position of the scapula (internal and external rotation).

Results

The anterior humeral circumflex artery was attached to the subscapularis tendon and located beneath the subdeltoid bursa. The posterior humeral circumflex artery was located between the deltoid muscle and the bursa, which allowed free movement during scapular motion. There were no direct extraosseous anastomoses between the two arteries. Compared with the posterior humeral circumflex artery, the anterior humeral circumflex artery decreased blood flow with the scapula in internal rotation.

Conclusions

No direct extraosseous anastomoses between the two arteries were observed. Internal rotation of the scapula decreased blood flow of the anterior humeral circumflex artery, which might be related to various pathologies of the shoulder.

Level of evidence

Diagnostic studies, Level III.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tohoku University School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan

    Yoshihiro Hagiwara, Kenji Kanazawa, Akira Ando & Eiji Itoi

  2. Unit of Clinical Anatomy, Graduate School, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8519, Japan

    Akimoto Nimura & Keiichi Akita

  3. Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health and Forensic Medicine, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8574, Japan

    Takashi Watanabe

  4. Department of Radiology, Takeda General Hospital, 3-27 Yamaga-machi, Aizuwakamatsu, 965-8585, Japan

    Kazuhiro Majima

Authors
  1. Yoshihiro Hagiwara
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  2. Kenji Kanazawa
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  3. Akira Ando
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  4. Akimoto Nimura
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  5. Takashi Watanabe
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  6. Kazuhiro Majima
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  7. Keiichi Akita
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  8. Eiji Itoi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yoshihiro Hagiwara.

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Hagiwara, Y., Kanazawa, K., Ando, A. et al. Blood flow changes of the anterior humeral circumflex artery decrease with the scapula in internal rotation. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 23, 1467–1472 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-013-2823-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00167-013-2823-2

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