Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Superior thoracic artery
Introduction
The superior thoracic artery (highest thoracic artery) is a small vessel, which may arise from the thoracoacromial.
Running forward and medialward along the upper border of the Pectoralis minor, it passes between it and the Pectoralis major to the side of the chest.
It supplies branches to these muscles, and to the parietes of the thorax, and anastomoses with the internal mammary and intercostal arteries.
Superior thoracic artery is the first division of the axillary artery. Axillary artery can be divided into three sections based on its location relative to the pectoralis minor muscle.
External links
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]