The mammary

glands

4/19/202
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Both men and women have breasts
They are well developed only in women
They are situated on the anterior surface of the
thorax, overlying the pectoral muscles
(pectoralis major and serratus anterior).
The mammary glands are accessory organs of the
female reproductive system.
They secrete milk for the nourishment of the
infant in a process called lactation.
They often extend toward the axillae forming
axillary tails.
The amount of fat surrounding the glandular
tissue determines the size of the breasts.
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 Description
The mammary gland lies in the superficial fascia,
anterior to the thorax.
The deep aspect of the breast is separated from the
pectoral muscles by the deep fascia.
Between the breast and the deep fascia, there is an
area of loose connective tissue that contains little
fat.
This zone is called the retromammary space
(bursa), and allows the breast to move freely on the
deep fascia covering the pectoralis major muscle.
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 Cont.
• Although it is easily separated from the deep fascia,
the mammary gland is firmly bound to the skin of
the breast by suspensory ligaments (Cooper’s
ligaments)
• The shape of the breast varies considerably in
different persons and races and in the same person
at different ages.
• Breast varies in size with roughly circular base
• The breast stretches vertically from the second to
sixth ribs and laterally from the edge of the sternum
to the midaxillary line.

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 The Female Breasts

• The breast is formed by 15 to 20 lobes of glandular tissue,

which constitute the mammary gland.
• Each lobe is composed of lobules, each lobule is composed
of alveoli sacs
• Each alveoli sac is lined by milk secreting cells called acini
• Each lobe is drained by a lactiferous duct, which opens on
the nipple.
• Deep to the areola, each duct has a dilated portion called the
lactiferous sinus, in which milk accumulates during lactation.

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 The Areolae
• These contain numerous sebaceous glands, which enlarge
during pregnancy and secrete an oily substance that provides
a protective lubricant for the areola and nipple.
• The areolae are variable in size, and are pink in white
nulliparous women, and dark in African women
• During the first pregnancy, the areolae of white women
change permanently to brown and more darker in African
women
• There is no fat beneath the areolae.
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 The Nipples
• Are conical or cylindrical prominences that are located in the
centre of the areolae.
• There is no fat in the nipples.
• In nulliparous women they are usually located at the level of
the fourth intercostal space.
• However, the position of the nipple varies considerable and
cannot be used as a guide to the fourth intercostal spaces.
• The tip of the nipple is fissured and contains the openings of
the lactiferous ducts.
• The nipples are composed mostly of circularly arranged
smooth muscle that compresses the lactiferous ducts and
erects the nipples when they contract.
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 Arterial Supply of the Breast .
There is abundant blood supply to the breast.
The arteries are mainly from the internal thoracic
artery via its perforating branches, which pierce the 2nd
to 4th intercostal spaces.
The breast also receives several branches from the
axillary artery, mainly from its lateral thoracic and
thoracoacromial branches, and lateral and anterior
branches from the intercostal arteries (in the 3rd to 5th
intercostal spaces).

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Venous Drainage of the Breast
Veins from the breast drain into the axillary, internal
thoracic, lateral thoracic and intercostal veins.
The chief venous drainage is the axillary vein.
Lymphatic Drainage of the Breast .
Most of the lymphatic drainage (about 75%) is to the
axillary lymph nodes, mainly the pectoral group.
Lymph from the medial part of the breast drains into the
parasternal lymph nodes, which are located within the
thorax along the internal thoracic vessels.
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