Pectoralis minor muscle
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At the time the article was created Henry Knipe had no recorded disclosures.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Henry Knipe had the following disclosures:
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View Henry Knipe's current disclosures- Pectoralis minor muscle
- Pec minor muscle
The pectoralis minor muscle is a muscle of the pectoral region lying deep to and completely covered by the pectoralis major muscle.
It is an important anatomical landmark in two senses:
it arbitrarily divides the axillary artery into 3 parts
it arbitrarily divides the axillary lymph nodes into 3 levels
Summary
origin: anterior 3rd-5th ribs near the costal cartilages
insertion: medial and upper aspect of the coracoid process of the scapula
innervation: medial and lateral pectoral nerves
arterial supply: thoracoacromial, superior thoracic and lateral thoracic arteries
-
action
depresses and protracts shoulder
when scapula fixed, elevation of 3rd-5th ribs
Variant anatomy
pre-fixed origin: ribs 2-4
post-fixed origin: ribs 4-6
absence: seen in Poland syndrome
Quiz questions
References
- 1. Schuenke M, Schulte E, Schumacher U et-al. General Anatomy and Musculoskeletal System. Thieme. (2010) ISBN:1604062924. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Last's anatomy, regional and applied. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN:044304662X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Moore KL, Agur AMR, Dalley AF. Clinically oriented anatomy. LWW. ISBN:1451119453. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 4. Standring S, & Gray H, (2008). Gray's anatomy: The anatomical basis of clinical practice. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier
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