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[An anatomical study of the proximal portion of the internal thoracic artery]
J A Henriquez-Pino1, J C Prates
1Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo.
Purpose:
The internal thoracic artery was studied because of its recent use in the revascularization of the myocardium of patients having coronary artery disease.
Method:
The artery of 50 cadavers of adult individuals, 22 (44%) females and 28 (56%) males, whose age ranged from 20 to 84 years, was studied after neoprene latex injection. The specimens were fixed in 10% formaldehyde solution and dissected macroscopically and mesoscopically, seeking the origin of the artery, its relation to the phrenic nerve and the origin of the pericardiophrenic artery.
Results:
The origin of the internal thoracic artery is much more frequent isolate (80%) than in a common trunk with other arteries (20%) from the subclavian artery. The left and right phrenic nerves cross anteriorly the artery in 54% of the cases; posteriorly in 14%; the right nerve crosses it anteriorly and the left posteriorly in 22%; and the reverse occurs in 10%. The pericardiophrenic artery is a branch of the internal thoracic artery in 99% of the cases and the average distance between the origins of these two arteries is 3.9 +/- 1.3 cm.
Conclusion:
The internal thoracic artery originates isolatedly from the subclavian artery in 80%, and the left and right phrenic nerves cross it anteriorly in 54% of the cases. The pericardiophrenic artery is a branch of the internal thoracic artery in 99% of the cases.
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