During axillary dissection for breast cancer, nodes lying medial to the lateral border of pectoralis minor muscle are designated as which level?

• A Level I
• B Level II
• C Level III ✓
• D Rotter's nodes

Explanation

Axillary nodes are classified by their relation to pectoralis minor: level I lies lateral to the muscle, level II lies deep to it, and level III, also called apical nodes, lies medial to its medial border. Rotter's nodes are interpectoral nodes between pectoralis major and minor and are not part of this levelling system. Level I is lateral to the muscle, so it cannot be the answer.

Reference: Bailey and Love's Short Practice of Surgery, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.