Intercostobrachial nerve

Intercostobrachial nerve

The Intercostobrachial nerve is a peripheral nerve that originates from the thoracic spinal nerves T1 and T2. It is a cutaneous nerve that supplies the skin of the upper limb.

Etymology

The term "intercostobrachial" is derived from the Latin words "inter", meaning between; "costa", meaning rib; and "brachium", meaning arm. Thus, the term refers to the nerve that runs between the ribs and the arm.

Anatomy

The intercostobrachial nerve arises from the lateral cutaneous branch of the second intercostal nerve and communicates with the medial brachial cutaneous nerve, a branch of the brachial plexus. It pierces the serratus anterior muscle and crosses the axilla to the upper arm, where it supplies the skin of the upper medial part of the arm.

Clinical significance

The intercostobrachial nerve is often affected during surgical procedures involving the axilla, such as mastectomy or axillary lymph node dissection. Damage to this nerve can result in numbness, tingling, or pain in the area of skin it supplies.

Related terms

• Axilla
• Brachial plexus
• Cutaneous nerve
• Intercostal nerves
• Mastectomy
• Medial brachial cutaneous nerve
• Peripheral nerve
• Serratus anterior muscle
• Thoracic spinal nerves

Intercostobrachial nerve Resources
Need Help Finding a Doctor? Need help finding a doctor or specialist anywhere in the world? Explore our world directory. WikiMD's DocFinder can assist you in locating millions of physicians.	Medical Knowledge Access the latest research - Most recent articles Ongoing trials.

Translate to: East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski