title: Anatomy of the levator claviculae, with an overview and a literature survey.
abstract: We report here an anatomical study of the levator claviculae discovered during an anatomical dissection course for medical students. The muscle was identified on the left side, and followed a typical topography to previous detections, originating from the transverse process of the fourth cervical vertebra and attaching to the upper facet of the middle part of the clavicle. Innervation to this muscle came from both the third and fourth rami of the cervical spinal nerves. Blood supply to the muscle could not be identified clearly. In this report, we undertook a comprehensive literature survey of this muscle dating back ca. 170 years, and attempted to ascertain the phylogenic and ontogenetic explanations for the development of this muscle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Yamanashi Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering, Chuo, Yamanashi, Japan.
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Odate
authors.forename: Masataka
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.forename: Kazuki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iio
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Funayama
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Futamata
authors.forename: Sen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takeda
mesh_terms: D000717:Anatomy, Comparative; D002102:Cadaver; D002968:Clavicle / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D037981:Neck Dissection; D009334:Neck Muscles / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000196:embryology / Q000294:innervation*; D010802:Phylogeny; D013045:Species Specificity