Anatomical study of the accessory axillary vein.

The Accessory Axillary Vein (AAV) was studied in 60 axillae of adult cadavers after fixation in 10% formaldehyde solution. The AAV had an incidence of 56.7% originating in 55.9% from the lateral brachial vein, in 32.4% from the common brachial and in 11.8% from the deep brachial vein. After running upward laterally to the axillary artery and the brachial plexus it ended usually (79.4%) in the suprapectoral portion of the AV. The tributaries of the AAV are the circumflex humeral and muscular veins and rarely the thoraco-acromial and the cephalic veins. The AAV can replace the AV in cases of obliteration of the latter.