Thoracodorsal nerve
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Chamath Ariyasinghe had no recorded disclosures.
View Chamath Ariyasinghe's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Yoshi Yu had no financial relationships to ineligible companies to disclose.
View Yoshi Yu's current disclosures- Middle subscapular nerve
- Long subscapular nerve
The thoracodorsal nerve also known as the middle subscapular or long subscapular nerve arises from the posterior cord of the brachial plexus and supplies the latissimus dorsi muscle.
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Gross anatomy
Origin
The thoracodorsal nerve arises from the posterior cord of the brachial plexus with fibers from the sixth, seventh and eighth cervical nerves.
Course and relations
After branching from the posterior cord between the upper and lower subscapular nerves, the thoracodorsal nerve runs down the posterior axillary wall. At its origin it is posterior to the subscapular artery. However, as it descends along the posterior wall of the axilla it comes to lie anterior to the artery, then called the thoracodorsal artery.
The thoracodorsal nerve crosses the lower border of the teres major muscle and enters the deep surface of the latissimus dorsi with terminal branches of the nerve extending to the inferior border of the muscle.
Branches and supply
The thoracodorsal nerve supplies the latissimus dorsi muscle.
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Variant anatomy
The thoracodorsal nerve may arise from the axillary nerve or from a common trunk with the upper and lower subscapular nerves in a small proportion of the population.
Related pathology
The thoracodorsal nerve may be damaged in surgical procedures of the lower axilla. The nerve supply is preserved in surgical flaps involving the latissimus dorsi and occasionally the nerve is harvested and grafted for facial nerve reconstruction.
References
- 1. Moore KL, Agur AMR, Dalley AF. Clinically oriented anatomy. LWW. ISBN:1451119453. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 2. Tsujimoto HY, McSwain BD, Hiyama T et-al. Effect of NADP on light-induced cytochrome changes in membrane fragments from a blue-green alga. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 2014;423 (4): 303-12. doi:10.5455/2320-6012.ijrms20141116 - Pubmed citation
- 3. Last's anatomy, regional and applied. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN:044304662X. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
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