While observing a mastectomy on a 60 year old female patient, a medical student was asked by the surgeon to help tie off the aeries that supply the medial side of the breast. The aery that gives origin to these small branches is the?

Small branches from the internal thoracic aery, known as medial mammary branches, supply the medial side of the mammary gland. The lateral side of the mammary gland is supplied by the lateral thoracic aery. The musculophrenic aery is a branch of the internal thoracic aery, it travels laterally and supplies blood to the 7th through 9th intercostal spaces. The posterior intercostal aeries are branches from the descending aoa & they supply the lateral and posterior poions of the intercostal space. The superior epigastric aery is a branch of the internal thoracic aery & it supplies the upper rectus abdominis muscle and the upper abdominal wall.