posterolateral thoracotomy, a chest surgery technique in which an incision is made in the submammary fold, below the tip of the scapula. The incision is continued posteriorly along the course of the ribs and upward as far as the spine of the scapula. It requires division of the trapezius, rhomboideus, latissimus dorsi, and serratus anterior muscles. Compare anterolateral thoracotomy, median sternotomy.
