title: Myocutaneous vascular territory of the thoracoacromial artery. A topographical and morphometric study of the arterial vascularization of the pectoralis major myocutaneous flap.
abstract: In order to clarify the vascularization of the pectoralis major muscle by the pectoral branch of the thoracoacromial artery, morphometric investigations and selective injection studies of the vessel were performed. A comparison with the anatomical orientation points clinically used for locating the vessel and its course confirms that the origin of the artery is at a constant spot at half the sternoacromial distance; the main vessel axis, however, deviates considerably from the clinically used acromioxiphoid axis in lateral direction. The lumen of the thoracoacromial artery has a range of more than 150% of the smallest vessel. Atherosclerotic alterations are not the reason for this variety but only an additional handicap for the vessel capacity. Two types of muscle-perforating arteries were found, and the cutaneous area of blood supply was defined.
authors: Department of Neuroanatomy, University Hospital Hamburg, FRG.
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Friedrich
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Lierse
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Herberhold
mesh_terms: D000174:Acromion / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D009132:Muscles / Q000098:blood supply*; D010369:Pectoralis Muscles / Q000098:blood supply; D012540:Scapula / Q000098:blood supply*; D012867:Skin / Q000098:blood supply*; D013895:Thoracic Arteries / Q000033:anatomy & histology*