Chest Wall and Diaphragm Flashcards
What are the functions of the chest wall?
- Respiration
- Protection
- Muscle Attachments
Describe the thoracic cavity
- Divided into 3 major spaces
- Heart with coverings (pericardium- pericardial cavity) + the major vessels
- Lungs with coverings (pleura-pleural cavities)
What is the superior thoracic aperture?
Apex of thorax to 2nd rib
-Trachea, clavicle, oesophagus, sternum etc
What is the inferior thoracic aperture?
Rib cage from 2nd rib down
-Diaphragm, oesophageal hiatus, aortic hiatus etc
What does the chest wall consist of?
- Thoracic vertebrae
- Ribs
- Sternum- manubrium, body, xiphoid process
- Intercostal spaces- intercostal muscles
Describe a typical thoracic vertebra
- Body
- Facets for articulation with ribs
- Facet for articulation with adjacent vertebra
- Spinous process
- Inferior articular process
- Transverse process
- Superior articular process with facet for articulation with adjacent vertebra
- Vertebral foreamen
- Pedicle
- Lamina
What are the features of the rib cage?
- Jugular notch
- Clavicle
- Sternoclavicular joint
- Manubrium of sternum
- Coracoid process
- Sternal angle
- Body of sternum
- Ribs 1-10
- Xiphoid process
- Costal cartilage and margin
What are the features of a typical rib?
- Costal cartilage
- External surface
- Costal groove
- Internal surface
- Angle
- Neck
- Tubercle
- Neck
- Head
- Crest
- Articular facets
How do ribs articulate with vertebrae?
- Joint capsule and cavities
- Intra-articular ligament
- Superior, lateral and normal costotransverse ligament
- Costotransverse joint
What are the features of the sternum?
Articular site for clavicle
- Jugular notch
- Manubrium of sternum
- Attachment site for Ribs
- Articular demi facets for rib 2
- Sternal angle (manubriosternal joint)
- Transverse ridges
- Body of sternum
- Xiphoid process
What are the different types of ribs?
- True (1-7)= articulate with sternum via own costal cartilage
- False (8-10)= articulate with sternum via costal cartilage of rib above
- Floating (11-12)= do not articulate with sternum
What are the muscles of the chest wall?
- Pectoralis major and minor
- Serratus anterior
- External, inner and innermost intercostal
What are the movements of the rib cage?
Inspiration:
- Sternum moves forward because of rib elevation- pump handle superior and anterior movements
- Elevation of lateral aspect of ribs- bucket handle movement
- Diaphragm descends to increase thoracic cavity
What are the openings of the diaphragm?
Inferior Vena Cava= T8
Oesophagus= T10
Aorta= 12
What are the features of the diaphragm?
- Central tendon
- Left and Right Crus (musculo-tendinous)
- Inferior VC, hemi-azygos vein
- Inferior phrenic artery, superior epigastric artery, aorta
- Right and Left phrenic nerve, greater+ lesser and least splanchnic nerve
- Oesophagus with anterior and posterior trunks, sympathetic trunk, thoracic duct
Describe the thoracic diaphragm
- Sheet of skeletal muscle that is critical for respiration
- Anatomical boundary separating thorax from abdomen
- Structures pass through or behind to move into a different cavity
What structures pass through or behind the diaphragm and at what vertebral level?
- Inferior Vena Cava= T8 (anterior)
- Phrenic nerve (R)= T8 (anterior)
- Oesophagus= T10 (middle)
- Thoracic aorta= T12 (posterior)
Where are the diaphragmatic muscles fibres attached to on the skeleton?
- Anterior fibres attached to Xiphoid process
- Lateral fibres (including domes) attach to internal aspect of lower 6 ribs and costal cartilages
- Posterior fibres (particularly crura)= upper 2/3 lumbar vertebrae