CTICasesLateral Costal Artery (Accessory Thoracic Vessel)
Imaging findings
Contrast-enhanced CT reveals a distinct, small arterial branch arising from the subclavian artery trunk lateral to the internal mammary (thoracic) artery, running vertically and inferiorly along the anterolateral extrapleural aspect of the inner chest wall. This vessel, present bilaterally, is identified as a lateral costal artery.
Key takeaways
The lateral costal artery is a well-documented but frequently overlooked anatomical variant (accessory thoracic vessel) arising from the internal mammary artery or directly from the subclavian artery. Recognizing this artery is clinically important because it can be injured during thoracic procedures (e.g., chest tube insertion, thoracentesis, or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery) and can cause a coronary steal syndrome if a left internal mammary artery graft is harvested for coronary artery bypass graft surgery.
AI-assisted summary — may contain errors. Verify against the source video. Learn more
More from this webinar
- Malignant Solitary Fibrous Tumor of Pleura with Metastatic Papillary Thyroid CarcinomaNeoplastic
- Focal Organizing Pneumonia from Aspiration Mimicking MalignancyILD
- Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Papillary FibroelastomaNeoplastic
- Hypervascular Parietal Pleural Solitary Fibrous TumorNeoplastic
- Massive Hiatal Hernia with Intrathoracic Appendix and Recurrent Esophageal Cancer with Left Atrial Tumor ThrombusNeoplastic
- Invasive Mucinous Adenocarcinoma Mimicking Interstitial Lung DiseaseNeoplastic
- Lucite Sphere Plombage Therapy for TuberculosisIatrogenic
- Disseminated Adrenal HistoplasmosisInfection
See all cases from July 20, 2017 →
Related Congenital cases
- Common Ostium of the Inferior Pulmonary Veins
- Bronchial Atresia with Incidental Lung Cancer
- Diaphragmatic Eventration
- Giant Sinus of Valsalva Aneurysm
- Persistent Left Superior Vena Cava Draining directly into the Left Atrium
- Right Aortic Arch with Aberrant Left Subclavian Artery and Separate Left Carotid Origins