title: Sternalis Muscle: An Unexpected Finding during Mastectomy.
abstract: Sternalis muscle also called rectus sternalis, rectus thoracis, or episternalis is an anomalous muscle of the anterior chest wall with unknown anatomical function. It is regularly observed in lower animal but infrequently in humans. Presence of this muscle can create confusion with tumours of the anterior chest wall during routine mammography. Although less is known about its origin and innervations, knowledge about this muscle can have many clinical implications. A case of unilateral sternalis muscle detected during mastectomy, in a female with carcinoma of the right breast, is being reported with a brief review of the literature and highlighting its clinical significance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Discipline, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar 751019, India.
authors.forename: Prakash K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Sasmal
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Discipline, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar 751019, India.
authors.forename: Susanta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meher
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Discipline, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar 751019, India.
authors.forename: Tushar S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiodiagnosis, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar 751019, India.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Deep
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar 751019, India.
authors.forename: Prabhas R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Tripathy
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Discipline, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar 751019, India.
authors.forename: Satyajit
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rath