Intermediate Posterior Intercostal Arteries Quiz

Q1. Between which intercostal muscle layers does the main neurovascular bundle run?

• Skin and external intercostals
• External and internal intercostals
• Pleura and lung
• Internal and innermost intercostals

Q2. What is the usual superior-to-inferior order of the main intercostal neurovascular bundle?

• Artery, vein, nerve
• Artery, nerve, vein
• Nerve, vein, artery
• Vein, artery, nerve

Q3. Which branch of a posterior intercostal artery travels toward the vertebral canal?

• Phrenic branch
• Anterior branch
• Spinal branch
• Collateral branch

Q4. Which branch supplies structures of the back?

• Pulmonary branch
• Esophageal branch
• Dorsal branch
• Coronary branch

Q5. Where does the collateral branch of a posterior intercostal artery usually run?

• Within the lung root
• Superior border of the rib below
• Along the vertebral canal
• Inside the sternum

Q6. Which branches supply the skin of the lateral thoracic wall?

• Bronchial branches
• Lateral cutaneous branches
• Spinal branches
• Pericardial branches

Q7. Which anterior vessels anastomose with posterior intercostal arteries in upper spaces?

• Internal thoracic branches
• Bronchial branches
• Coronary branches
• Renal branches

Q8. Which artery supplies anterior intercostal branches in the lower anterior spaces?

• Vertebral artery
• Inferior thyroid artery
• Musculophrenic artery
• Superior mesenteric artery

Q9. Why are the right posterior intercostal arteries generally longer than the left?

• The aorta lies left of the midline
• The sternum lies on the left
• The right ribs are longer
• The heart lies on the right

Q10. Which structures may the right posterior intercostal arteries pass behind?

• Trachea and thyroid gland
• Heart and pulmonary trunk
• Liver and inferior vena cava
• Esophagus, thoracic duct, and azygos vein