Nerves of the thorax: Atlas of normal and pathologic findings

An anatomic and imaging atlas was created to provide detailed information a bout the six pairs of thoracic nerves (phrenic nerves, vagus nerves, recurr ent laryngeal nerves, sympathetic trunks, costal nerves, long thoracic nerv es). Serial axial computed tomographic (CT) scans of the normal thorax were obtained and included in the atlas, along with drawings showing the proper location of each nerve relative to adjacent anatomic structures. CT scans obtained in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with various thoraci c diseases were paired with appropriate drawings and normal CT scans in the atlas. This format was designed to help determine the presence and severit y of related disease, including injury from surgery, trauma, or penetrating injury, metastatic disease involvement, and, rarely, primary tumor. Althou gh the nerves of the thorax are rarely identified at cross-sectional imagin g, their location can be inferred by localizing easily identified anatomic landmarks. Familiarity with the functional anatomy and clinical significanc e of the nerves of the thorax is important for the correct interpretation o f thoracic images.