THE BONY THORAX

Lecture #6, Ch. 5

Pages 156-158
 The Bony Thorax
▣ Forms a cage to protect major organs
▣ Consists of three parts
1. Sternum
2. Ribs
🢭 True ribs (pairs 1–7)
🢭 False ribs (pairs 8–10)
🢭 Floating ribs (pairs 11–12)
3. Thoracic vertebrae

© 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.

 Sternum
▣ Also called
“breastbone”
▣ Comprised of 3 bones:
◼ Manubrium
◼ Body
◼ Xiphoid process
▣ Jugular notch – upper
border of the
manubrium
 Ribs
▣ There are 12 rib pairs
▣ All of them articulate posteriorly with the
thoracic vertebrae
▣ The ribs are arranged accordingly:
◼ 7 pairs called true ribs- attach directly to the sternum
via costal (hyaline) cartilage
◼ 5 pairs called false or floating:
🢭 3 pairs attach indirectly to sternum
🢭 2 pairs float as they aren’t attached to sternum at all
FIGURE 5.22A THE BONY THORAX (THORACIC CAGE).

T1 vertebra
Jugular
Clavicular notch
notch

Manubrium
Sternal
angle
Body
Xiphisternal Sternum
True joint
ribs Xiphoi
(1–7) d
proces
s

False
ribs
(8–12)
Intercosta
l
L1 spaces
vertebr Costal
Floating
a cartilage
(a) ribs (11, 12)
FIGURE 5.22B THE BONY THORAX (THORACIC CAGE).

T2 Jugul
T3 ar
T4 notc
Stern
h
al
angle

Heart

T9 Xiphisterna
l
joint
(b)