| Abstract: | The lateral costal branch (LCB) of the internal thoracic artery (ITA) was studied because its presence sometimes may reduce the blood flow of the ITA when it is used for myocardial revascularization (Singh and Sosa, 1981). The ITA of 90 cadavers of adults of both sexes, whose ages ranged from 20 to 84 years, was studied after neoprene latex injection to determine its incidence, its relation to the phrenic nerve and first rib, its diameter, and the distance between the origin of the ITA and the origin of the LCB. We found the LCB in 16.6% of the cases, with bilateral presence in 5.5%. Unilateral rightside incidence was 11.1%, and left unilateral incidence was not observed. The LCB originated from the ITA in all cases, with a distance of origin along the ITA of 23.7 + 6.7 mm on the right side and 29.5 ± 6.4 mm on the left side. The mean diameter of the LCB was 1.7% ± 0.8 mm. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc. |
