What type of bone is described as two parallel compact bone segments “sandwiching” a spongy bone segment?
a) Sesamoid (patella)
b) Irregular (vertebrae)
c) Long (humerus)
d) Short (wrist)
e) Flat (sternum)***
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Anatomy of the sternum:
The sternum is a flat bone located in front of the thorax, in the midline of the body (in the center). It is articulated on each side with the first seven ribs as well as with the clavicles in which the sterno-clavicular joint forms. Located under the skin, it is in front of a large part of the heart.
The sternum is made of the fusion of three bone pieces:
- Sternal handlebar,
- The body of the sternum,
- The xiphoid process.
There are three important anatomical milestones:
- The jugular incision draws the upper edge of the sternum. It is easily palpable under the skin, it is the hollow we feel at the base of the neck.
- The sternal angle is located at the edge of the sternal handlebar and the body. Also palpable, it stands out in the form of a horizontal stop.
- The lower sternal junction, which is located at the junction between the body of the sternum and the xiphoid process.
Physiology of the sternum:
The sternum is involved in the formation of the bone structure of the rib cage. The ribs and thoracic vertebrae are associated with it to complement them.
Pathologies of the sternum:
- Fractured sternum:
This content may interest you: Topographic anatomy, Anatomical models, Oximeter.
Sternum fractures are associated with trauma, either direct or indirect. A direct impact may be due to a car accident (seat belt that presses on the chest or a crash of a steering wheel) or linked to a sports practice.
Indirect causes of fractures can occur spontaneously in older people with osteoporosis, for example. Tension fractures were also recorded in athletes who followed repetitive exercises in the upper body. These sternum fractures can occur in isolation or associated with other lesions:
- Isolated: only the sternum is affected. Most patients recover completely after several weeks of convalescence.
- Associated with other injuries: two thirds of sternum fractures are associated with severe pathologies that can cause death in 25 to 45% of cases. These wounds can only affect the tissues or reach the rib cage deeper (fractures of the rib, heart, lung, spine).
Other sternum pain:
Sternal-Clavicular Dislocation:
Dislocation of the joint between the clavicle and the sternum is four times less frequent than the acromioclavicular.
- Chest pain:
They have multiple causes and sometimes they can be felt at the sternum level. These pains are usually due to heart disease (eg myocardial infarction) or vascular (eg pulmonary embolism) and require prompt medical attention.
- Sternal cleft:
rare malformation of the sternum, of unknown cause. During embryonic life, there is a lack of fusion of the bone bars intended to constitute the sternum, which normally occurs from top to bottom to close it completely. Surgery during the first weeks after birth helps close the sternum and protect the heart and large vessels behind it.
- Sterno-cost-clavicular hyperostosis:
rare pathology of unknown cause, results in hypertrophy and condensation of the sternum, clavicles and first ribs. It preferably affects the middle-aged man. Painful swelling of the sternum is the main symptom.
- Sternum tumors:
Thoracic wall bone tumors can rarely be located in the sternum or clavicle. This type of bone tumor represents less than 5% of all bone tumors.
Pathology prevention:
The pathologies of the sternum are due to external traumas or rare diseases of unknown causes. So it seems difficult to prevent them.
Exams:
Sternal puncture: the practice of inserting a needle into the sternum to collect the bone marrow. This marrow contains the so-called hematopoietic cells, which are at the origin of the different blood cells.
The laboratory analysis of these cells is the myelogram. It is used to diagnose an abnormality of one of the blood cell lines. This puncture can also be performed on the pelvic bone, so it is a lumbar puncture.
a) Sesamoid (patella)
b) Irregular (vertebrae)
c) Long (humerus)
d) Short (wrist)
e) Flat (sternum)***
------------------------
Anatomy of the sternum:
The sternum is a flat bone located in front of the thorax, in the midline of the body (in the center). It is articulated on each side with the first seven ribs as well as with the clavicles in which the sterno-clavicular joint forms. Located under the skin, it is in front of a large part of the heart.
The sternum is made of the fusion of three bone pieces:
- Sternal handlebar,
- The body of the sternum,
- The xiphoid process.
There are three important anatomical milestones:
- The jugular incision draws the upper edge of the sternum. It is easily palpable under the skin, it is the hollow we feel at the base of the neck.
- The sternal angle is located at the edge of the sternal handlebar and the body. Also palpable, it stands out in the form of a horizontal stop.
- The lower sternal junction, which is located at the junction between the body of the sternum and the xiphoid process.
Physiology of the sternum:
The sternum is involved in the formation of the bone structure of the rib cage. The ribs and thoracic vertebrae are associated with it to complement them.
Pathologies of the sternum:
- Fractured sternum:
This content may interest you: Topographic anatomy, Anatomical models, Oximeter.
Sternum fractures are associated with trauma, either direct or indirect. A direct impact may be due to a car accident (seat belt that presses on the chest or a crash of a steering wheel) or linked to a sports practice.
Indirect causes of fractures can occur spontaneously in older people with osteoporosis, for example. Tension fractures were also recorded in athletes who followed repetitive exercises in the upper body. These sternum fractures can occur in isolation or associated with other lesions:
- Isolated: only the sternum is affected. Most patients recover completely after several weeks of convalescence.
- Associated with other injuries: two thirds of sternum fractures are associated with severe pathologies that can cause death in 25 to 45% of cases. These wounds can only affect the tissues or reach the rib cage deeper (fractures of the rib, heart, lung, spine).
Other sternum pain:
Sternal-Clavicular Dislocation:
Dislocation of the joint between the clavicle and the sternum is four times less frequent than the acromioclavicular.
- Chest pain:
They have multiple causes and sometimes they can be felt at the sternum level. These pains are usually due to heart disease (eg myocardial infarction) or vascular (eg pulmonary embolism) and require prompt medical attention.
- Sternal cleft:
rare malformation of the sternum, of unknown cause. During embryonic life, there is a lack of fusion of the bone bars intended to constitute the sternum, which normally occurs from top to bottom to close it completely. Surgery during the first weeks after birth helps close the sternum and protect the heart and large vessels behind it.
- Sterno-cost-clavicular hyperostosis:
rare pathology of unknown cause, results in hypertrophy and condensation of the sternum, clavicles and first ribs. It preferably affects the middle-aged man. Painful swelling of the sternum is the main symptom.
- Sternum tumors:
Thoracic wall bone tumors can rarely be located in the sternum or clavicle. This type of bone tumor represents less than 5% of all bone tumors.
Pathology prevention:
The pathologies of the sternum are due to external traumas or rare diseases of unknown causes. So it seems difficult to prevent them.
Exams:
Sternal puncture: the practice of inserting a needle into the sternum to collect the bone marrow. This marrow contains the so-called hematopoietic cells, which are at the origin of the different blood cells.
The laboratory analysis of these cells is the myelogram. It is used to diagnose an abnormality of one of the blood cell lines. This puncture can also be performed on the pelvic bone, so it is a lumbar puncture.
Image exams:
- Bone scan:
a medical imaging technique that uses x-rays. Radiography of the sternum or sternoclavicular joints is a standard reference examination in trauma-related pathologies.
- Scanner:
an imaging technique that consists of "sweeping" a given region of the body to create cross-sectional images by using an X-ray beam. We also talk about CT or scanning. This test allows you to visualize the medullary bone as well as the soft tissues of the joint and around the joint.
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging):
a medical diagnostic test performed by a large cylindrical device in which a magnetic field and radio waves are produced. It allows to obtain very precise images of the mineralized bone of the sternum.
- Bone scintigraphy:
An imaging technique that involves administering a radioactive tracer to the patient in the body or organs to be examined. Therefore, it is the patient who "emits" the radiation that will be collected by the device. The scanner allows you to observe the bones and joints. In the case of the sternum, it is used in particular for the diagnosis of sterno-cost-clavicular hyperostosis.
History and symbolic of the sternum:
It is estimated that 5% of the world population has a "sternal form", or a sternal perforation, or a round opening in the body of the sternum. This hole, similar to that of a bullet that would pass through the sternum, is really explained by a defect in ossification.
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