Use of the internal mammary vein for central venous access

We have reported two instances requiring long term central venous access in which the more traditional access sites were no longer available. The use of the internal mammary vein has made it possible to easily obtain central venous access in these patients without thoracotomy. Also, based on the anatomy, we believe this to be superior to the intercostal venous approach, since the passage of the catheter is more direct, thus, avoiding the acute azygous arch angle and cumbersome positioning.