Thoracic wall
(Redirected from
Chest wall
)| Thoracic wall | |
|---|---|
 Body cavities | |
 A transverse section of the thorax, showing the contents of the middle and the posterior mediastinum. | |
| Identifiers | |
| MeSH | D035441 |
| FMA | 10428 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
The thoracic wall or chest wall is the boundary of the thoracic cavity.
Structure
The bony skeletal part of the thoracic wall is the rib cage, and the rest is made up of muscle, skin, and fasciae.
The chest wall has 10 layers, namely (from superficial to deep)
serratus anterior.The thoracic wall consists of a bony framework that is held together by twelve thoracic vertebrae posteriorly which give rise to ribs that encircle the lateral and anterior thoracic cavity. The first nine ribs curve around the lateral thoracic wall and connect to the manubrium and sternum.[1]
Function
Diving reflex
When not breathing for long and dangerous periods of time in cold water, a person's body undergoes great temporary changes to try to prevent death. It achieves this through the activation of the
Martin Štěpánek
) during extremely deep (over 90 metres or 300 ft) free dives.
Clinical significance
In rare cases, intentional or accidental, trauma may lead to chest wall (thoracic wall) necrosis.[2]
References
External links
- Thoracic+wall at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
- Anatomy photo:18:lo-0000 at the SUNY Downstate Medical Center