Wk.10 L1 Anatomy of the Thorax

Question 1

What is the primary function of the thoracic cage?

Answer 1

Protect vital thoracic and abdominal organs and serve as a conduit for structures that pass from the head and/or neck to the abdomen

Question 2

How many compartments is the thorax divided into?

Answer 2

Three compartments

Question 3

What are the three compartments of the thorax?

Answer 3

• Pulmonary Cavities
• Mediastinum
• Thoracic Outlet

Question 4

What does the mediastinum contain?

Answer 4

• Heart
• Vessels
• Nerves
• Trachea
• Bronchi
• Oesophagus
• Lymphatics

Question 5

What divides the mediastinum?

Answer 5

Pericardium

Question 6

Name the divisions of the inferior mediastinum.

Answer 6

• Anterior mediastinum
• Middle mediastinum
• Posterior mediastinum

Question 7

What structures are found in the superior mediastinum?

Answer 7

• Thymus
• Brachiocephalic veins
• Superior vena cava
• Aortic arch
• Brachiocephalic trunk
• Left common carotid artery
• Left subclavian artery
• Trachea
• Oesophagus
• Thoracic duct
• Vagus & phrenic nerves

Question 8

What is the function of the intercostal muscles?

Answer 8

• Provide structural support
• Facilitate breathing maneuvers
• Resist paradoxical movement of the thoracic wall during breathing
• Protect the neurovascular bundle

Question 9

What is the thoracic cage primarily constructed of?

Answer 9

• Ribs
• Sternum
• Thoracic vertebrae

Question 10

How many pairs of ribs are there?

Answer 10

12 pairs of ribs

Question 11

What types of ribs are classified based on their attachment to the sternum?

Answer 11

• True ribs (1st-7th)
• False ribs (8th-10th)
• Floating ribs (11th-12th)

Question 12

What is the sternal angle?

Answer 12

The joint formed between the manubrium and the body of the sternum at TV4/5

Question 13

What are the components of the thoracic cage?

Answer 13

• Sternum
• 12 thoracic vertebrae
• 12 pairs of ribs and associated costal cartilages

Question 14

What are the components of the thoracic wall?

Answer 14

• Muscles
• Membranes
• Blood vessels
• Nerves

Question 15

Fill in the blank: The thoracic vertebrae have _______ shaped vertebral bodies with costal facets.

Answer 15

heart

Question 16

True or False: The 1st rib has a costal cartilage attachment that directly connects to the sternum.

Answer 16

True

Question 17

What does the term ‘intercostal spaces’ refer to?

Answer 17

The spaces between ribs occupied by muscles, membranes, blood vessels, and nerves

Question 18

What are the four types of joints associated with the ribs?

Answer 18

• Sternocostal joints
• Costovertebral joints
• Costocorporeal joints
• Costotransverse joints

Question 19

What is the role of the costal groove in ribs?

Answer 19

To accommodate the neurovascular bundle

Question 20

What is the typical structure of a thoracic vertebra?

Answer 20

• Heart-shaped vertebral body
• Wing-shaped transverse process
• Long spinous process

Question 21

What is the primary marker for the inferior limit of the thoracic cavity?

Answer 21

Xiphisternal joint

Question 22

What are the three types of intercostal muscles listed from superficial to deep?

Answer 22

External intercostal muscles, Internal intercostal muscles, Innermost intercostal muscles

These muscles play a key role in the mechanics of breathing.

Question 23

What is the arrangement of intercostal veins, arteries, and nerves in the neurovascular bundles?

Answer 23

V - vein superior, A - artery middle, N - nerve inferior

This arrangement is found in the costal grooves on the inferior borders of ribs.

Question 24

What does the thorax extend between?

Answer 24

Neck and abdomen.

Question 25

How is the thorax shaped?

Answer 25

Like a domed birdcage.

Question 26

What are the dimensions of the thorax at its narrow and wider parts?

Answer 26

Narrow superiorly (6.5cm x 11cm), Wider inferiorly (variable dimension).

Question 27

What are the boundaries of the thoracic inlet?

Answer 27

Superior border of manubrium (anterior), 1st ribs and cartilages (lateral), Thoracic vertebra 1 (TV1) (posterior).

Question 28

What is contained within the thoracic inlet?

Answer 28

Vessels, nerves, trachea, oesophagus.

Question 29

What are the boundaries of the thoracic outlet?

Answer 29

Xiphisternal joint (anterior), Cartilages of 7th-10th ribs, end of 11th ribs, border of 12th ribs (lateral), Thoracic vertebra 12 (TV12) (posterior).

Question 30

What fills the thoracic outlet?

Answer 30

Diaphragm, punctured by inferior vena cava, oesophagus, aorta.

Question 31

What is the diaphragm described as?

Answer 31

A thin, double domed, musculotendinous sheet.

Question 32

What is the primary function of the diaphragm?

Answer 32

Chief muscle of respiration.

Question 33

What happens to the diaphragm during inspiration and expiration?

Answer 33

Descends for inspiration and ascends for expiration.

Question 34

What structures pass through or behind the diaphragm?

Answer 34

Inferior vena cava, oesophagus, aorta.

Question 35

What mnemonic helps remember the vertebral levels of structures passing through the diaphragm?

Answer 35

I ate ten eggs at twelve.

Question 36

At which vertebral level does the inferior vena cava puncture the diaphragm?

Answer 36

TV8.

Question 37

At which vertebral level does the oesophagus pass through the diaphragm?

Answer 37

TV10.

Question 38

At which vertebral level does the aorta pass behind the diaphragm?

Answer 38

TV12.

Question 39

What are the ligaments that span across the structures of the posterior abdominal wall?

Answer 39

Lateral arcuate ligaments, Medial arcuate ligaments, Median arcuate ligament.

Question 40

What muscles are associated with the diaphragm's attachments?

Answer 40

Psoas major, Quadratus lumborum.

Question 41

What are the two domes of the diaphragm called?

Answer 41

Left dome of diaphragm, Right dome of diaphragm.

Question 42

What is the central tendon of the diaphragm?

Answer 42

A structure that connects the muscle fibers of the diaphragm.

Question 43

What openings are present in the diaphragm?

Answer 43

Caval opening/hiatus for inferior vena cava, Oesophageal hiatus for oesophagus, Aortic hiatus for abdominal aorta.

Question 44

What is the significance of the phrenic nerves?

Answer 44

They innervate the diaphragm.

Question 45

True or False: The thoracic inlet and outlet are filled with the same structures.

Answer 45

False.