Brachial Artery & Median Nerve At Elbow, Radial Artery & Radial Nerve Of Forearm, Radial Artery In Lower Third Of Forearm, & Ulnar Artery & Nerve Above Wrist

The brachial artery is the continuation of the axillary artery, and begins a the lower edge of the tendon of the teres major muscle, 1899. From 'The Treatise of the Human Anatomy and Its Applications to the Practice of Medicine and Surgery, Volume I' (1899). Its course is on the same line as the axillary artery from just to the inner side of the middle of the clavicle to the middle of the bend of the elbow, with the arm at a right angle to the body. The artery may be ligated at the bend of the elbow, or at the middle of the arm. The median nerve may be stretched at any point of its course in the arm. The course of the radial artery in the forearm is represented by a line drawn from the middle of the bend of the elbow to the radial pulse, just to the inner side of the base of the styloid process of the radius. In the middle of the arm, the radial nerve lies in relation with the outer side of the artery. When ligating the artery in the lower third of the forearm, the incision is made along the line of the artery, between and parallel with the tendons of the supinator longus and flexor carpi radialis muscles. The ulnar artery may be ligated in the middle or lower one third of the forearm. The ulnar nerve will be found near the artery, on its inner side, and its palmar cutaneous branch in front of the vessel. The course of the ulnar nerve in the lower part of the arm corresponds to a line drawn from a point on the inner side of the insertion of the coraco-brachialis to a point midway between the internal condyle of the humerus and the olecranon. (Photo by VintageMedStock/Getty Images)