Breast Flashcards
What are the breasts also called
Mammary glands
When do breasts grow in females
Puberty and pregnancy
Where does breast tissue extend towards
Anterior axilla
Define the axillary tail
Where the breast tissue extends towards the anterior axilla
What happens to the breast after menopause
Atrophies
What does the breast contain
Fat - various amounts
Glandular/secretory tissue arranged in lobules
Ducts which converge on the nipple. Areola is the region of pigmented skin that surrounds the nipple
Connective tissue and ligaments
Blood vessels and lymphatics
What is the neurovascular supply of the breast
Internal thoracic artery
Axillary artery
What does the internal thoracic artery arise from
Subclavian artery
What is the course of the internal thoracic artery
Deep to the lateral edge of the sternum
What is the venous drainage of the breast
Axillary veins
Internal thoracic veins
What is the breast supplied by
Somatic nerves
Sympathetic fibres via intercostal nerves
What do somatic nerves do
Innervate the skin of the breast
What do sympathetic nerves do
Innervate smooth muscle in the blood vessel walls and nipple
What is the lymphatic drainage of the breast
Most drains into lymph nodes in axilla
What are the groups of lymph nodes in the axilla
Central
Pectoral
Humeral
Subscapular
Apical
