Medial pectoral nerve

Medial pectoral nerve
Nerves of the left upper extremity. (Medial anterior thoracicvisible in upper right.)
Details
From	medial cord
Innervates	pectoralis minor, pectoralis major
Identifiers
Latin	nervus pectoralis medialis
Dorlands /Elsevier	n_05/12566420
TA	A14.2.03.017
FMA	65293
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy []

The medial pectoral nerve (medial anterior thoracic) arises from the medial cord (sometimes directly from the anterior division of the inferior trunk) of the brachial plexus and through it from the eighth cervical and first thoracic roots.

It passes behind the first part of the axillary artery, curves forward between the axillary artery and vein, and unites in front of the artery with a filament from the lateral nerve.

It then enters the deep surface of the pectoralis minor muscle, where it divides into a number of branches, which supply the muscle.

Two or three branches pierce the muscle and end in the sternocostal head of the pectoralis major muscle. The medial pectoral nerve pierces both the pectoralis minor and the sternocostal head of the pectoralis major. The lateral pectoral nerve pierces only the clavicular head of the pectoralis major.

Brachial plexus

Brachial plexus with courses of spinal nerves shown

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)