| Artery: Internal thoracic artery | |
|---|---|
| Right internal thoracic artery and its branches. (Internal mammary artery labeled at upper right.) | |
| Latin | arteria thoracica interna, arteria mammaria interna |
| Gray's | subject #148 583 |
| Source | Subclavian artery |
| Branches | Pericardiophrenic Anterior intercostal branches Musculophrenic Superior epigastric Perforating branches |
| Vein | Internal thoracic vein |
| MeSH | Mammary+Arteries |
In human anatomy, the internal thoracic artery (ITA), previously known as the internal mammary artery (a name still common among surgeons), is an artery that supplies the anterior chest wall and the breasts. It is a paired artery, with one running along each side of the sternum, to continue after its bifurcation as the superior epigastric and musculophrenic arteries.
Contents |
The internal thoracic artery arises from the subclavian artery near its origin.
It travels downward on the inside of the ribcage, approximately a centimeter from the sides of the sternum, and thus medial to the nipple.
It runs deep to the internal intercostal muscles, but superficial to the transverse thoracic muscles.
It continues downward until it divides into the musculophrenic artery and the superior epigastric artery around the sixth intercostal space.
After passing the sixth intercostal space, the internal thoracic artery splits into the following two terminal branches:
The internal thoracic artery is the cardiac surgeon's blood vessel of choice for coronary artery bypass grafting. The left ITA has a superior long-term patency to saphenous vein grafts[1][2] and other arterial grafts[3] (e.g. radial artery, gastroepiploic artery) when grafted to the left anterior descending coronary artery, generally the most important vessel, clinically, to revascularize. Plastic surgeons may use either the left or right internal thoracic arteries for autologous free flap reconstruction of the breast after mastectomy. Usually a micro-vascular anastomosis is performed at the second intercostal space to the artery on which the free flap is based.
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