Musculophrenic artery
| Artery: Musculophrenic artery | |
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| (Musculophrenic artery labeled at center left.) | |
| Latin | arteria musculophrenica |
| Gray's | p.584 |
| Source | Internal thoracic artery |
| Branches | Lower Pericardium, Diaphragm, and Abdominal muscles |
The musculophrenic artery arises from the internal thoracic artery, directed obliquely downward and laterally, behind the cartilages of the false ribs; it perforates the diaphragm at the eighth or ninth costal cartilage, and ends, considerably reduced in size, opposite the last intercostal space.
It gives off intercostal branches to the seventh, eighth, and ninth intercostal spaces; these diminish in size as the spaces decrease in length, and are distributed in a manner precisely similar to the intercostal arteries from the internal thoracic artery.
The musculophrenic artery also gives branches to the lower part of the pericardium, and others which run backward to the diaphragm, and downward to the abdominal muscles.
External links
- musculophrenic+artery at eMedicine Dictionary
- 18:07-0102 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center - "Thoracic wall: Branches of the Internal Thoracic Artery"
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