Chest

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Overview

The chest is a part of the anatomy of humans and various other animals.

Human chest anatomy

In human, the chest is the region of the body between the neck and the abdomen, along with its internal organs and other contents. It is mostly protected and supported by the ribcage, spine, and shoulder girdle. Contents of the chest include the following:

• organs
  • heart
  • lungs
• muscles
  • major and minor pectoral muscles
  • trapezius muscles and neck
• internal structures
  • diaphragm
  • esophagus
  • trachea
  • xiphoid process
• arteries and veins
  • aorta
  • superior vena cava
  • inferior vena cava
  • pulmonary artery

• bones
  • the shoulder socket containing the upper part of the humerus
  • scapula
  • sternum
  • thoracic portion of the spine
  • collarbone
  • ribcage
  • Floating ribs
• external structures
  • nipples
  • mammary glands
• thoracic abdomen (stomach, kidney/adrenal, pancreas, spleen, and lower oesophagus)

In humans, the portion of the chest protected by the ribcage is also called the thorax.

Chest injury

Injury to the chest (also referred to as chest trauma, thoracic injury, or thoracic trauma) results in up to ¼ of all deaths due to trauma in the United States.^[1]

In the human body, the chest is the body region between the neck and diaphragm in the front of the body. The corresponding area in an animal can be referred to as the chest. The chest holds many important internal, and is protected by the ribcage.

It is important to realize that the shape of the chest does not correspond to that of the bony thorax which encloses the heart and lungs; all the breadth of the shoulders is due to the shoulder girdle, and contains the axilla and the head of the humerus. In the middle line the suprasternal notch is seen above, while about three fingers' breadth below it a transverse ridge can be felt, which is known as (Ludovic's angle) and marks the junction between the manubrium and gladiolus of the sternum. Level with this line the second ribs join the sternum, and when these are found the lower ribs may be easily counted in a moderately thin subject. At the lower part of the sternum, where the seventh or last true ribs join it, the ensiform cartilage begins, and over this there is often a depression popularly known as the pit of the stomach.

The nipple in the male is situated in front of the fourth rib or a little below; vertically it lies a little external to a line drawn down from the middle of the clavicle; in the female it is not so constant. A little below it the lower limit of the great pectoral muscle is seen running upward and outward to the axilla; in the female this is obscured by the breast, which extends from the second to the sixth rib vertically and from the edge of the sternum to the mid-axillary line laterally. The female nipple is surrounded for half an inch by a more or less pigmented disc, the areola. The apex of a normal heart is in the fifth left intercostal space, three and a half inches from the mid-line.

References

See also

• Thoracic cavity
• Pectus excavatum
• Pectus carinatum
• Breast
• Chest hair
• Barechested

v • d • e Human anatomical features
Head	Skull · Forehead · Eye · Ear · Nose · Mouth · Tongue · Teeth · Jaw · Face · Cheek · Chin
Neck	Throat · Adam's apple
Torso	Shoulders · Spine · Breast · Chest · Ribcage · Abdomen · Navel Sex organs (Clitoris · Vagina · Penis · Scrotum · Testicle) – Hip · Anus · Buttocks
Limbs	Arm · Elbow · Forearm · Wrist · Hand · Finger (Thumb · Index · Middle · Ring · Little) · Leg · Lap · Thigh · Knee · Calf · Heel · Ankle · Foot · Toe (Hallux)
Skin	Hair

v • d • e General anatomy of torso
Thorax/ Thoracic cavity	Mediastinum (Superior, Anterior, Middle, Posterior) • Superior thoracic aperture • Inferior thoracic aperture • Triangle of auscultation • Intercostal space • Thoracic plane • Thoracic wall/Thoracic cage - fascia (Pectoral fascia, Clavipectoral fascia, Thoracolumbar fascia) • Chest • Midsternal line
Thoracic diaphragm	openings (Caval opening, Esophageal hiatus, Aortic hiatus, Foramina of Morgagni) • Central tendon • Crus of diaphragm • arcuate ligaments (Lateral, Medial, Median)
Abdomen/ Abdominal cavity	Retroperitoneum • Paracolic gutters • Hepatobiliary triangle anterior abdominal wall (Arcuate line, Linea alba, Tendinous intersection, Linea semilunaris, McBurney's point, Traube's space, Inguinal triangle) • Inguinal canal (Deep inguinal ring, Superficial inguinal ring, Intercrural fibers, Crura of superficial inguinal ring) • Lumbar triangle • regions (Epigastrium, Hypochondrium, Umbilical region, Latus, Hypogastrium, Inguinal region) • planes (Transpyloric plane, Intertubercular plane, Midclavicular line) fascia (Fascia of Camper, Fascia of Scarpa, Transversalis fascia, Renal fascia, Rectus sheath)
Pelvis/ Pelvic cavity	Pelvic floor • Retropubic space fascia (Pelvic fascia, Superior fascia of diaphragm of pelvis, Inferior fascia of diaphragm of pelvis, Fascia of the Obturator internus, Tendinous arch, Iliac fascia, Iliopectineal fascia)
Perineum	Anal triangle (Ischioanal fossa, Pudendal canal, Anococcygeal raphe) Urogenital triangle (Superficial perineal pouch, Deep perineal pouch) Perineal body fascia (Dartos/fascia of perineum/superficial perineal fascia/Fascia of Colles, Perineal membrane/"Inferior fascia of UGD", "Superior fascia of UGD")

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Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content

Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .