Posterior cutaneous branches of thoracic nerves
Rami cutanei posteriores nervorum thoracicorum
- Synonym: Posterior thoracic cutaneous nerves
- Related terms: Posterior cutaneous branch; Posterior cutaneous nerve
Definition
The posterior cutaneous branches (medial cutaneous branches) of the posterior divisions of the thoracic nerves descend for some distance close to the spinous processes before reaching the skin, while the lateral branches travel downward for a considerable distance—it may be as much as the breadth of four ribs—before they become superficial; the branch from the twelfth thoracic, for instance, reaches the skin only a little way above the iliac crest.
References
This definition incorporates text from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy (20th U.S. edition of Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body, published in 1918 – from http://www.bartleby.com/107/).
