A Case of Unilateral Duplication of the Axillary Vein: A Rare Anatomical Variant

The axillary vein, being the principal vein of the axilla, is usually formed as a continuation of the basilic vein and drains the majority of the upper limb. Its duplication, as observed in this cadaver, is quite rare. Although many reports have emphasised the variations in the axillary artery, there are very few that have focused on the variant anatomy of the axillary veins. In this case report, a variant anomaly of the axillary veins was found while routinely dissecting the axilla in a formalin-fixed male cadaver. In this cadaver, the left axilla had two axillary veins. The thoracodorsal vein drained into the medial axillary vein, while the cephalic vein appeared to drain into the lateral axillary vein. Surgical implications regarding catheterisations are likely to arise as a result of these venous variants. A thorough understanding of the variant anatomy of these veins is essential for surgeons during operations in the axilla. A duplicated axillary vein may impede the route of catheters inserted into the heart and might also obstruct the laminar flow of blood into the subclavian vein. This case report serves as an indicator to encourage further typing and patterned studies on the numerical abnormalities pertaining to the angulations and number of axillary veins, in order to provide guidance for cardiovascular surgeons during their venous access procedures.