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Introduction The dorsal scapular artery Arteria dorsalis scapulae is often described as the last collateral branch of the subclavian axis It anastomoses extensively with the transverse artery of the neck arteria transversa cervicis to irrigate the trapezius muscle However its origin can be very variable The objective of this work was to study the different modalities of birth of the arteria dorsalis scapulae from the subclavian artery Material and methods We performed dissection of supraclavicular regions from bodies preserved in a non formalin solution rich in glycerine The subclavian artery arteria subclavia was exposed as well as all its collateral branches The arteria dorsalis scapulae was identified by its location as collateral and its route and then injected with a solution of methylene blue and gelatin Results Our results were divided into types according to the mode of birth and the branch of origin In cases the arteria dorsalis scapulae and the arteria transversa cervicis were born from a common trunk stemming from the arteria subclavia type I In cases the arteria dorsalis scapulae was born directly from the arteria subclavia while the arteria transversa cervicis came from the thyro cervical trunk or truncus thyrocervicalis type II In cases the dorsalis scapulae and transversa cervicis arteries all represented collateral branches of the thyro cervical trunk type III Conclusion The formation of the arteria dorsalis scapulae from the subclavian axis can present numerous anatomical variations These variations must be taken into account during the surgery of flaps of the trapezius muscle

Introduction The morphological diversity of the trapezius muscle is important even if statistically these variations are rare The authors of this work study anatomical variations of trapezius muscle in literature Material and methods A systematic review of the literature using several databases has identified the main anatomical variations present on the trapezius muscle Anatomical variations The most frequently reported anatomical variations are agenesis and unilateral or bilateralaplasia trapezius hypoplasia the presence of accessory portions of the muscle and accessory nerve abnormalities However variations in their bony insertions and asymmetries predominate by their frequency in the trapezius muscle Conclusion The anatomical variations of trapezius muscle are real despite their rarity They can have important functional consequences