L62: The Thorax Flashcards
What is the upper boundary of the thorax?
The superior thoracic aperture (at the root of the neck)
What is the lower boundary of the thorax?
The inferior thoracic aperture OR thoracic outlet (closed by the diaphragm)
What does the thorax include?
Sternum, costal cartilages, ribs, thoracic vertebrae and the structures they enclose
What are the three compartments of the thorax?
Right and left pleural cavities and the mediastinum
What divides the two pleural cavities?
The mediastinum
What is the jugular notch?
A large, visible dip between the neck and two collarbones
At what landmark does the aorta become the abdominal aorta?
After the diaphragm
What do the pulmonary trunks (arteries) carry?
Deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs
What do the pulmonary veins carry?
Oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart (left atrium)
What does the superior vena cava drain?
All organs above the heart (head, neck and upper limbs)
What does the inferior vena cava drain?
All organs below the heart (inc. lower limbs)
Which nerve supplies the diaphragm?
Phrenic - motor and sensory
Which region of the spinal cord does the phrenic nerve stem from?
C3, 4 and 5
What is the structure of the diaphragm?
A musculotendinous (muscles and tendons) ‘dome-shaped’ structure
Which side of the diaphragm is higher (domed) and why?
The right side, because of the liver underneath
