sternum

Also known as breastbone

The sternum (: sternums or sterna) or breastbone is a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury. Shaped roughly like a necktie, it is one of the largest and longest flat bones of the body. Its three regions are the manubrium, the body, and the xiphoid process. The word sternum originates from Ancient Greek στέρνον (stérnon) 'chest'.

AI overview

The sternum, or breastbone, is a long flat bone in the center of your chest that connects to your ribs and forms the front of your rib cage. It plays a crucial protective role by shielding your heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Bone.Name: Sternum
Bone.Latin: sternum
Bone.Image: Sternum composition.png
Bone.Caption: Parts of the sternum: manubrium (green), body (blue), xiphoid process (purple)
Bone.Image2: Sternum front.png
Bone.Caption2: Position of the sternum (red)

via Wikipedia infobox

Research

15,766 papers

[Morphology of sternum for formation of the biological profile of unidentified individual].ReviewSudebno-meditsinskaia ekspertiza · 2024Zolotenkova GV, Tareeva TADOI: 10.17116/sudmed20246703160
Sternum Nonunion Case Report.The Orthopedic clinics of North America · 2026Sheffer BDOI: 10.1016/j.ocl.2025.12.009
Non-Tumorous Diseases of the Sternum and Its Articulations: At the Front Gate of the Chest.ReviewCurrent problems in diagnostic radiology · 2022Son H, Grigovich M, McCabe BEDOI: 10.1067/j.cpradiol.2021.06.005
The utility of sternum in creating a biological profile: A review and future directions.ReviewSoudni lekarstvi · 2024Hanzelyová K, Babiak F, Bajaj J et al.
Cleft sternum and sternal foramen.ReviewChest surgery clinics of North America · 2000Fokin AA
Linea Alba Hernia with Sternum Separation.Internal medicine (Tokyo, Japan) · 2022Honda S, Kawasaki TDOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.8114-21
Solitary Langerhans-cell histiocytosis arising from sternum.Asian journal of surgery · 2022Wang XY, Yan H, Ren CN et al.DOI: 10.1016/j.asjsur.2022.02.038
Three-dimensional mapping of sternum fractures from high-energy trauma.The journal of trauma and acute care surgery · 2022LaRoque MC, Obermeier MC, Cole PADOI: 10.1097/TA.0000000000003763

via PubMed

Wikidata facts

Image: Sternum animation2.gif

Show 3 more facts

Commons category: Sternum
Commons gallery: Sternum
NCI Thesaurus ID: C12793

Sources (6)

via Wikidata · CC0

~14 min read

Article

22 sections

Contents

Structure
Manubrium
Body
Xiphoid process
Joints
Development
Variations
Clinical significance
Bone marrow biopsy
Sternal opening
Fractures
Dislocation
Sternotomy
Resection
Bifid sternum or sternal cleft
Other animals
Arthropods
Etymology
Additional images
See also
References
External links

== Structure== The sternum is a narrow, flat bone, forming the middle portion of the front of the chest. The top of the sternum supports the clavicles (collarbones) and its edges join with the costal cartilages of the first two pairs of ribs. The inner surface of the sternum is also the attachment of the sternopericardial ligaments. Its top is also connected to the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The sternum consists of three main parts, listed from the top: Manubrium Body (gladiolus) Xiphoid process