Download - Bony Thorax
Bony Thorax
Bony Thorax
• The sternum, ribs and thoracic vertebrae make up the bony thorax
• The bony thorax is often called the thoracic cage because it forms a protective, cone-shaped cage of slender bones around the organs of the thoracic cavity
Sternum• The sternum is a typical flat bone and the
result of the fusion of three bones: manubrium, body and xiphoid (zif’oid) process
Manubrium
Body
Xiphoid
Ribs• 12 Pairs of ribs form the walls of the thoracic
cage• The true ribs, the first 7 pairs, attach directly
to the sternum by costal cartilages• False ribs, the next 3 pairs, either attach
indirectly to the sternum or are not attached to the sternum at all
• The last 2 pairs of false ribs lack the sternal attachments, and so they are also called floating ribs