Brachial

Brachial is an anatomical term meaning related to the arm, specifically the upper arm. The word derives from the Latin brachium, arm, and is used for structures and regions located in or associated with the arm. Common examples include the brachial artery, the brachial veins, the brachial plexus, and the muscle group of the arm.

The brachial artery is the major blood vessel of the upper arm. It continues the axillary artery beginning at the lower border of the teres major and runs distally in the anterior compartment, usually giving off the profunda brachii (deep artery of the arm). It travels toward the elbow, where it divides into the radial and ulnar arteries. The brachial artery is commonly palpated at the cubital fossa to assess circulation and is the standard site for blood pressure measurement.

Brachial veins accompany the artery as deep venous drainage of the upper arm, typically forming a pair that drains toward the axillary vein, which in turn becomes the subclavian vein as it crosses the lateral border of the first rib. The brachial plexus is a network of ventral rami (C5–T1) that provides motor and sensory innervation to the upper limb; its major terminal branches include the musculocutaneous, axillary, radial, median, and ulnar nerves.

The term also appears in reference to the arm’s muscles, such as the biceps brachii and brachialis, and to the brachial region, the anatomical area of the upper arm between shoulder and elbow.