Pectoralis minor muscle
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| Pectoralis minor | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Latin | musculus pectoralis minor | |
| Gray's | subject #122 438 | |
| Origin: | 3rd to 5th ribs, near their costal cartilages | |
| Insertion: | medial border and superior surface of the coracoid process of the scapula | |
| Artery: | Pectoral branch of the thoracoacromial trunk | |
| Nerve: | Medial pectoral nerves (C8, T1) | |
| Action: | It stabilizes the scapula by drawing it inferiorly and anteriorly against the thoracic wall. | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | m_22/12550138 | |
The Pectoralis minor is a thin, triangular muscle, situated at the upper part of the chest, beneath the Pectoralis major.
Origin and insertion
It arises from the upper margins and outer surfaces of the third, fourth, and fifth ribs, near their cartilage and from the aponeuroses covering the Intercostalis.
The fibers pass upward and lateralward and converge to form a flat tendon, which is inserted into the medial border and upper surface of the coracoid process of the scapula.
Relations
The pectoralis minor muscle is covered anteriorly (superficially) by the clavipectoral fascia. The medial pectoral nerve pierces the pectoralis minor and the clavipectoral fascia.
Actions
The Pectoralis minor depresses the point of the shoulder, drawing the scapula downward and medialward toward the thorax, and throwing the inferior angle backward.
Variations
Origin from second, third and fourth or fifth ribs. The tendon of insertion may extend over the coracoid process to the greater tubercle. May be split into several parts. Absence rare.
Additional images
 Anterior surface of sternum and costal cartilages. |
 Left scapula. Costal surface. |
 The axillary artery and its branches. |
|
 The veins of the right axilla, viewed from in front. |
 The right brachial plexus with its short branches, viewed from in front. |
 Nerves of the left upper extremity. |
External links
- LUC pcmn
- UWASH pectoralisminor
- 13631566 at GPnotebook
- SUNY Figs 04:04-05
- SUNY Figs 05:02-08
- SUNY Labs 05:ov-0200
- SUNY Labs 05:01-0102
- Slide
- Muscles/PectoralisMinor at exrx.net
This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.
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Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
