Pectoralis minor
Musculus pectoralis minor
MuscularDeep musclesThoraxLeft and right
View left in 3D View right in 3D
- What it is
- Thin triangular muscle deep to pectoralis major, from the outer surfaces of ribs 3–5 near their costal cartilages up to the coracoid process of the scapula.
- Function
- Draws the scapula forwards and downwards and steadies it; helps raise the ribs in forced inspiration.
- Size
- About 12 cm long and 5 cm wide at its origin.
- Clinical note
- A key surgical landmark: it divides the axillary artery into three parts and the axillary lymph nodes into levels I–III in breast-cancer surgery.