Lateral Thoracic Artery

arteria thoracica lateralis

The lateral thoracic artery arises from the axillary artery and descends along the lateral border of the pectoralis minor to supply the serratus anterior, pectoralis major and minor, and the breast. It gives lateral mammary branches to the lateral breast, which are the dominant arterial supply to the lateral breast quadrants. It anastomoses with the internal thoracic perforators medially and the thoracoacromial artery superiorly.

Region: Chest

Clinical Relevance

Clinical Notes

The lateral thoracic artery is a critical vessel in breast surgery: it is the primary arterial supply to the lateral breast and must be considered in designing skin-sparing mastectomy flaps to maintain adequate skin flap perfusion. Axillary lymph node dissection routinely exposes and may sacrifice the lateral thoracic artery; its ligation at the axilla is generally well tolerated as collateral supply through perforators of the internal thoracic and thoracoacromial arteries maintains breast skin viability. In deep inferior epigastric artery perforator (DIEP) flap breast reconstruction, knowledge of the lateral thoracic anatomy guides recipient vessel selection.

Pathology

Common Injuries & Conditions

Lateral Thoracic Artery in Axillary Dissection

Axillary lymph node dissection for breast cancer may sacrifice the lateral thoracic artery where it enters the breast from the axilla; this is generally well tolerated given collateral supply, but excessive dissection proximally risks devascularisation of the lateral skin flap if both the lateral thoracic and perforator supply are compromised.