Thoracic plane (mnemonic)
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Knipe H, Hacking C, Kang O, et al. Thoracic plane (mnemonic). Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 16 Mar 2025) https://doi.org/10.53347/rID-22287
rID:
22287
Article created:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Henry Knipe had no recorded disclosures.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Craig Hacking had the following disclosures:
- Philips Australia, Paid speaker at Philips Spectral CT events (ongoing)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Craig Hacking's current disclosures
Revisions:
12 times, by
6 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Synonyms:
- CLAPTRAP
A handy mnemonic to remember the structures found at the level of the thoracic plane (also known as the plane of Ludwig) is:
- CLAPTRAP
- RAT PLANT
Mnemonic
CLAPTRAP
- C: cardiac plexus
- L: ligamentum arteriosum
- A: aortic arch (inner concavity)
- P: pulmonary trunk
- T: tracheal bifurcation (carina)
- R: right-to-left movement of the thoracic duct (posterior to the esophagus)
- A: azygos vein drains into SVC
- P: pre-vertebral fascia and pre-tracheal fascia end
RAT PLANT
- R: rib 2
- A: aortic arch
- T: tracheal bifurcation
- P: pulmonary trunk
- L: ligamentum arteriosum
- A: azygos vein drains into SVC
-
N: nerves
- loop of recurrent laryngeal nerve
- parasympathetic: contributions to the cardiopulmonary plexuses via the vagus nerves
- sympathetic: branches of the cardiopulmonary splanchnic nerves
- T: right-to-left movement of the thoracic duct
Quiz questions
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Multiple choice questions:
Related articles: Anatomy: Thoracic
- thoracic skeleton
- thoracic cage
- thoracic spine
- articulations
- muscles of the thorax
- diaphragm
- intercostal space
- intercostal muscles
- variant anatomy
- spaces of the thorax
- thoracic viscera
- lower respiratory tract
-
heart
- cardiac chambers
- heart valves
- cardiac fibrous skeleton
- innervation of the heart
- development of the heart
- cardiac wall
-
pericardium
- epicardium
- epicardial fat pad
- pericardial space
- oblique pericardial sinus
- transverse pericardial sinus
-
pericardial recesses
- aortic recesses
- pulmonic recesses
- postcaval recess
- pulmonary venous recesses
- pericardial ligaments
- myocardium
- endocardium
-
pericardium
- esophagus
- thymus
- breast
- arterial supply of the thorax
-
thoracic aorta (development)
-
ascending aorta
-
aortic root
- aortic annulus
-
coronary arteries
- coronary arterial dominance
- myocardial segments
-
left main coronary artery (LMCA)
- ramus intermedius artery (RI)
-
circumflex artery (LCx)
- obtuse marginal branches (OM1, OM2, etc))
- Kugel's artery
-
left anterior descending artery (LAD)
- diagonal branches (D1, D2, etc)
- septal perforators (S1, S2, etc)
-
right coronary artery (RCA)
- conus artery
- sinoatrial nodal artery
- acute marginal branches (AM1, AM2, etc)
- inferior interventricular artery (PDA)
- posterior left ventricular artery (PLV)
- congenital anomalies
- sinotubular junction
-
aortic root
- aortic arch
- aortic isthmus
- descending aorta
-
ascending aorta
- pulmonary trunk
-
thoracic aorta (development)
- venous drainage of the thorax
- superior vena cava (SVC)
- inferior vena cava (IVC)
-
coronary veins
-
cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- great cardiac vein
- middle cardiac vein
- small cardiac vein
- posterior vein of the left ventricle
- vein of Marshall (oblique vein of the left atrium)
- anterior cardiac veins
- venae cordis minimae (smallest cardiac veins or thebesian veins)
-
cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- pulmonary veins
- bronchial veins
- thoracoepigastric vein
- lymphatics of the thorax
- innervation of the thorax
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