Quick Facts
Origin: Axillary artery.
Course: Inferiorly along the lateral thoracic wall.
Branches: Lateral mammary branches.
Supplied Structures: Serratus anterior, pectoralis major and minor, and subscapularis muscles, axillary lymph nodes.
Related parts of the anatomy
Origin
The lateral thoracic artery arises from the second part of the axillary artery. The axillary artery is divided into three parts, depending on the arteries location to the pectoralis minor muscle. Sometimes, the lateral thoracic artery may arise from a common trunk with the thoracoacromial artery (10%) or from the subscapular artery (10%) (Tubbs, Shoja and Loukas, 2016).
Course
From its origin, the lateral thoracic artery descends along the lateral thoracic wall, deep to the pectoralis major and near the lateral border of the pectoralis minor. It continues as far as the fifth intercostal space.
Branches
The lateral thoracic artery gives rise to the lateral mammary branches.
Supplied Structures
The lateral thoracic artery supplies the serratus anterior, pectoralis major and minor, and subscapularis muscles, axillary lymph nodes, and contributes to the vasculature of the mammary gland.
References
Tubbs, R. S., Shoja, M. M. and Loukas, M. (2016) Bergman's Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Human Anatomic Variation. Wiley.
Learn more about this topic from other Elsevier products
Lateral Thoracic Artery
The lateral thoracic artery originates from the axillary artery and follows the lower border of the pectoralis minor muscle along the chest wall, supplying the pectoralis muscles and the serratus muscles.
