axilar

Axilar is an adjective used in anatomy and related fields to denote relation to the axilla, the armpit region. In English medical terminology the preferred form is axillary, while in some languages such as Spanish and Portuguese axilar or axilar is used. The term can describe structures located within or associated with the armpit.

The axilla is a pyramid-shaped space under the shoulder joint that serves as a passage for vessels and nerves traveling between the neck and the upper limb. Its boundaries are: anterior wall formed by the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor muscles; posterior wall formed by the subscapularis, teres major and latissimus dorsi; medial wall formed by the upper ribs and serratus anterior; lateral boundary is the intertubercular groove of the humerus; the base is the skin of the armpit, opening toward the axillary crease, and the apex communicates with the neck.

Contents and clinical relevance: the axilla contains the axillary artery and vein, several lymph nodes (often grouped as pectoral, subscapular, central and apical), fat, and parts of the brachial plexus. Nerves such as the axillary nerve, thoracodorsal nerve, and pectoral nerves traverse the region. Clinically, the axilla is important in breast cancer due to lymphatic drainage to axillary nodes; procedures such as sentinel lymph node biopsy and axillary dissection rely on this anatomy. The term axilar may also appear in botany to describe structures arising from the leaf axil, such as axillary buds.

In summary, axilar denotes anything related to the axilla, an anatomically and clinically significant region of the upper limb.