Variations in the aortic origin of intercostal arteries in man

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The variation in the origin of the (posterior) intercostal arteries was examined in 79 aortae of children who ranged in age from 1 day to 15 years and died of various causes. The distribution, size and number of the origins of the (usually present: 9) pairs of these arteries varied widely. The most commonly observed patterns were as follows: variation in distance between arteries of a given pair; variation in spacing between adjacent pairs; presence of a supernumerary single artery or of a pair; absence of one or both arteries of a given pair; unequal size of the orifices of a pair; complete division of a single artery into two branches beyond its origin; and an incomplete division of a single artery by a partial septum.Of interest appears to be the absence of one (in 59 instances) or both (in 17 instances) arteries of the same pair; the tenth intercostals were most commonly so affected. It would require a prospectively designed study to ascertain whether the absence of any of the intercostal arteries may have a clinical effect in man. Since these arteries supply directly or indirectly not only the intercostal and pectoral muscles, serratus anterior and the muscles of the back, but also the spinal cord, and in addition, provide cutaneous and a few mammary branches, functional correlations in the absence of given arteries may prove to havepractical implications.