An improved technical trick for identification of the thoracodorsal nerve during axillary clearance surgery: a cadaveric dissection study

The relationship of the thoracodorsal nerve and the lateral thoracic vein. The image on the left shows a dissection of a right axilla. The image on the right shows a 3D diagram (AV – Angular vein, AxV – Axillary vein, ICBN – Intercostobrachial nerve, LTN – Long thoracic nerve, LTV – Lateral thoracic vein, TDN – Thoracodorsal nerve, X – Reference point, a - horizontal distance, b – depth, c – displacement, θ – angle with the horizontal plane