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Brachial artery

The brachial artery is the main arterial supply of the arm, continuing from the axillary artery at the lower border of the teres major muscle. It runs distally along the medial aspect of the arm, within the neurovascular bundle alongside the median nerve.

At the level of the cubital fossa, opposite the neck of the radius, it bifurcates into the radial artery and ulnar artery, which supply the forearm and hand. Along its course, it gives off several important branches including the profunda brachii artery, superior and inferior ulnar collateral arteries, and muscular branches.

Clinically, the brachial artery is a common site for blood pressure measurement, arterial cannulation, embolectomy, trauma evaluation, and vascular access procedures. It is also frequently involved in atherosclerotic disease, thrombosis, or traumatic injury.

Synonyms

  • Arteria brachialis

  • Main artery of the arm

Function

  • Provides the principal arterial supply to the arm, forearm, and hand via its branches

  • Participates in collateral circulation around the elbow joint

  • Serves as a palpable landmark for pulse assessment in the arm

  • Provides access for diagnostic angiography, blood pressure monitoring, and vascular interventions

Branches

  • Profunda brachii artery

  • Superior ulnar collateral artery

  • Inferior ulnar collateral artery

  • Muscular branches

  • Terminal bifurcation into radial and ulnar arteries

MRI Appearance

T1-weighted images:

  • Appears as a flow void (black lumen) with hypointense vessel wall

  • Surrounding fat provides natural hyperintense contrast for delineation

T2-weighted images:

  • Lumen typically remains a flow void due to arterial blood flow

  • Thrombosis may appear intermediate to high signal intensity depending on clot age

STIR (Short Tau Inversion Recovery):

  • Fat suppression enhances visualization against soft tissue planes

  • Highlights perivascular edema, inflammation, or hematoma as hyperintense signals

T1 Post-Contrast (Gadolinium-enhanced MRI):

  • Brachial artery enhances homogeneously and brightly

  • Allows identification of stenosis, dissection, aneurysm, or thrombus (as filling defect)

  • Provides excellent vascular roadmap for pre-surgical planning

MRA (Magnetic Resonance Angiography):

  • Contrast-enhanced MRA clearly depicts the course, branching, and bifurcation of the brachial artery

  • Demonstrates occlusion, stenosis, aneurysm, traumatic injury, or collateral circulation

  • Useful in preoperative evaluation of upper limb ischemia and bypass graft planning

CT Appearance

Pre-contrast CT:

  • Brachial artery visualized as a tubular soft tissue density structure along the medial arm

  • Calcified plaques or vascular wall calcification appear as hyperdense foci

  • Hematoma or surrounding injury may also be identified

Post-contrast CT (CT Angiography):

  • Brachial artery opacifies brightly with contrast, clearly delineating its origin, course, and bifurcation

  • Multiplanar and 3D reconstructions allow evaluation of stenosis, aneurysm, occlusion, or vascular trauma

  • Provides vascular mapping for intervention, graft planning, and surgical reconstruction

MRI image

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CT images

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CT images

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MRI image

Brachial artery sagl cross sectional anatomy 3T MRI AI enhanced radiology image-img-00000-00000

CT image

Brachial artery ct axial

CT image

Brachial artery ct coronal image