Chest

The male chest

WikiDoc Resources for Chest

Articles

Most recent articles on Chest

Most cited articles on Chest

Review articles on Chest

Articles on Chest in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Chest

Images of Chest

Photos of Chest

Podcasts & MP3s on Chest

Videos on Chest

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Chest

Bandolier on Chest

TRIP on Chest

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Chest at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Chest

Clinical Trials on Chest at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Chest

NICE Guidance on Chest

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Chest

CDC on Chest

Books

Books on Chest

News

Chest in the news

Be alerted to news on Chest

News trends on Chest

Commentary

Blogs on Chest

Definitions

Definitions of Chest

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Chest

Discussion groups on Chest

Patient Handouts on Chest

Directions to Hospitals Treating Chest

Risk calculators and risk factors for Chest

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Chest

Causes & Risk Factors for Chest

Diagnostic studies for Chest

Treatment of Chest

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Chest

International

Chest en Espanol

Chest en Francais

Business

Chest in the Marketplace

Patents on Chest

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Chest

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

## Overview

[edit | edit source]

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

## Human chest anatomy

[edit | edit source]

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

An X-ray of a human chest area

* 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

[edit | edit source]

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

[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ Shahani, Rohit, MD. (2005). Penetrating Chest Trauma. eMedicine. Retrieved 2005-02-05.

## See also

[edit | edit source]

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

Template:Human anatomical features Template:Torso general

ar:صدر ay:Ñuñu de:Brust ln:Bontólo qu:Qhasqu simple:Chest sk:Hrudník fi:Rinta sv:Bröst (könsneutralt) tl:Dibdib yi:ברוסט קאסטען [[zh:胸]

Template:WikiDoc Sources