[Anatomical investigation of arterial distribution and clinical application of selective angiography of the shoulder joint].

The purpose of this paper is to apply selective angiography to the shoulder joint based on anatomical quantitative study. Prior to the selective angiography, I made the arterial casts of adult cadavers (30 joints) to investigate the vascular distribution of the rotator cuff, and the arterial specimen of fetus cadavers (60 joints) using a modification of Teichmann's technique with cold injection medium to observe the types of origin of the main arteries roentgenographically. Results of these anatomical studies showed the rotator cuff to have 4 main arteries, and each tendon of the rotator cuff to have 2 or more arteries from the scapular side and the humeral side, forming a vascular network on the tendon. The critical zone of the vascular network was in the subacromial part of the rotator cuff where the selective angiogram showed a variety of abnormal vasculature in clinical cases with lesions at the supraspinatus tendon.