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

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  Nerves of the left upper extremity
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  Gray's Anatomy illustrations 811 and 813
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  Gray's Anatomy illustrations 812 and 814
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  Innervation of the upper arm