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Blood supply (breast)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The arterial supply of the breast is rich:

  • internal thoracic artery; perforating branches supply the majority of the breast's blood supply and the largest branches emerge medially between intercostal spaces 2 to 4
  • lateral thoracic artery
  • intercostal arteries through intercostal spaces 3 to 5:
    • anterior branches
    • lateral branches
  • axillary artery
  • thoracodorsal artery
  • subscapular artery
  • pectoral arteries

The venous drainage of the breast primarily is directed towards the ipsilateral axilla. Key draining veins include:

  • axillary vein
  • internal thoracic vein
  • lateral thoracic vein
  • intercostal veins

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