The Lateral Thoracic Artery Revisited

Abstract

Although the variations in the origin of the branches of the axillary and subclavian arteries have been documented, little information regarding the highly variable lateral thoracic artery (LTA) is available. Descriptions of the LTA variations may decrease intraoperative problems during surgery of the lateral aspects of the thorax such as reconstructive plastic surgery and modified radical mastectomy. The aim was therefore to review the anatomy of the LTA and to offer an accurate account of its variability. The entire course and distribution of the LTA was examined in 420 formalin‐fixed adult human cadavers. The LTA was found in 96.7% of our specimens, showing great morphological variability and classified the variations according to origin into 6 types. The most common was where the LTA arose from the thoracoacromial trunk (Type I, 70%). In decreasing order of incidence were origins from; the axillary artery (Type II, 17.6%), the thoracodorsal artery (Type III, 5.2%), and the subscapular artery (Type IV, 4%). Additionally, multiple LTAs were present (Type V, 3.2%) and complete absence of LTA (Type VI, 3.3%) was observed. Despite variations in the origin our dissections demonstrated that the ultimate tissue distribution of the LTA remained typical (90%) and descended on the lateral border of the pectoralis minor. Our results illustrate the need for re‐evaluation of the branches of the thoracoacromial trunk with possible consideration that the LTA arises from it instead of directly from the axillary artery. We hope that the information supplied by this study will provide useful information to anatomists and surgeons alike.Grant Funding Source: N/A