CT anatomy of the mediastinal structures at the level of the manubriosternal angle.
The mediastinal structures said to lie on a horizontal plane at the level of the manubriosternal joint (manubriosternal plane) in the cadaver include the bifurcation of the trachea, the concavity of the arch of the aorta, and the azygos vein as it arches over the right principal bronchus to enter the superior vena cava. We have reviewed CT scans of the thorax in 51 subjects to determine 1) whether these structures lie consistently at this level in the living thorax and 2) the vertebral level of this plane. We found that the bifurcation of the trachea lay at the plane in 41% of subjects, that the plane passed through the concavity of the arch of the aorta in 49% of subjects, and that, although there was notable individual variation, the manubriosternal plane passed through the upper part of the fifth thoracic vertebra in 53% of cases.
Chukwuemeka
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A
Division of Anatomy and Cell Biology, United Medical School of Guy's Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
Currie
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L
Ellis
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H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D001401:Azygos Vein / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008371:Manubrium / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008482:Mediastinum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013249:Sternum / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014132:Trachea / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D014683:Vena Cava, Superior / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging