Internal Thoracic Artery - Branches

Branches

  • Mediastinal branches
  • Thymic branches
  • Pericardiacophrenic artery - travels with the phrenic nerve
  • Sternal branches
  • Perforating branches
  • Twelve anterior intercostal branches, two to each of the top six intercostal spaces. In a given space, the upper branch travelling laterally along the bottom of the rib until it anastomoses with its corresponding posterior intercostal artery. The lower branch of the space anastomoses with a collateral branch of the posterior intercostal artery.

After passing the sixth intercostal space, the internal thoracic artery splits into the following two terminal branches:

  • Musculophrenic artery - roughly follows the costal margin
  • Superior epigastric artery - continues the course of the internal thoracic artery, travelling downward into the abdominal wall

Read more about this topic:  Internal Thoracic Artery

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