Superior thoracic artery
Arteria thoracica superior
- Latin synonym: Arteria thoracalis suprema; Arteria thoracica suprema
- Synonym: Highest thoracic artery; Supreme thoracic artery
Definition
The superior thoracic artery (a. thoracalis suprema; 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.
This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).
