Trunk vessels (aorta, vena cava, abdominal branches)
Second posterior intercostal arteries
Arteriae intercostales posteriores secundae
- Origin
- Terminal branch of the supreme intercostal artery
- Insertion
- Traverses the 2nd intercostal space in the subcostal groove
- Function
- Supplies the second intercostal space, chest wall musculature, and parietal pleura
- Innervation
- 2nd intercostal nerve
- Movement & chain
- Arterial pulsatile flow
- Palpation
- Not palpated directly
- Clinical
- Rib notching (inferior rib margin erosion seen on CXR in coarctation of the aorta due to enlarged collateral intercostal arteries).
- Segmental innervation
- T2 spinal level
- In clinical practice
- Thoracentesis safety rule: needle entry must always be immediately OVER the superior border of the rib to avoid the subcostal VAN bundle
- Region in the model
- Trunk vessels (aorta, vena cava, abdominal branches)