Intercostobrachial nerve
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Craig Hacking had no recorded disclosures.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Joachim Feger had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Joachim Feger's current disclosuresThe intercostobrachial nerve is a lateral cutaneous branch of the second intercostal nerve that supplies sensation to the skin of the axilla. It leaves the second intercostal space at the midaxillary line and subsequently pierces the serratus anterior muscle to enter the subcutaneous tissues of the axilla 1-3.
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Variant anatomy
the lateral cutaneous branch of the third intercostal nerve may give rise to a second intercostobrachial nerve
the intercostobrachial nerve may join the medial cutaneous nerve of the arm to supply the skin of the medial arm
Clinical importance
The nerve may be injured during axillary surgery such as nodal clearance for breast cancer 1. Preservation of the nerve is usually preferred and attempted during axillary dissection for breast cancer. It is a sensory nerve and supplies the skin over the second intercostal space and the medial upper arm and forearm. This reduces the sensory deficit postoperatively 4.
Fun fact
Given it supplies the skin of the axilla, it is sometimes referred to as the 'tickle' nerve.
References
- 1. Last, R. J., McMinn, R. M. H.. Last's Anatomy, Regional and Applied. (1994) ISBN: 044304662X - Google Books
- 2. Keith L. Moore, Arthur F. Dalley, A. M. R. Agur. Clinically Oriented Anatomy. (2013) ISBN: 9781451119459 - Google Books
- 3. Henry B, Graves M, Pękala J et al. Origin, Branching, and Communications of the Intercostobrachial Nerve: A Meta-Analysis with Implications for Mastectomy and Axillary Lymph Node Dissection in Breast Cancer. Cureus. 2017;9(3):e1101. doi:10.7759/cureus.1101 - Pubmed
- 4. Abdullah T, Iddon J, Barr L, Baildam A, Bundred N. Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial of Preservation of the Intercostobrachial Nerve During Axillary Node Clearance for Breast Cancer. Journal of British Surgery. 1998;85(10):1443-5. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2168.1998.00843.x - Pubmed
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