Thorax
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
Citation:
Luijkx T, Bell D, Niknejad M, et al. Thorax. Reference article, Radiopaedia.org (Accessed on 21 Mar 2025) https://radiopaedia.org/articles/33448
DOI:
-
rID:
33448
Article created:
13 Jan 2015,
Tim Luijkx
Disclosures:
At the time the article was created Tim Luijkx had no recorded disclosures.
View Tim Luijkx's current disclosures
Last revised:
Disclosures:
At the time the article was last revised Henry Knipe had the following disclosures:
- Micro-X Ltd, Shareholder (past)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosures
Revisions:
10 times, by
5 contributors -
see full revision history and disclosures
Sections:
Synonyms:
- Thoracic anatomy
- Thorax anatomy
- Anatomy of thorax
- Anatomy of the thorax
- Chest anatomy
- Anatomy of the chest
- Chest
- Thoraces
- Thoracic cavity
The thorax (plural: thoraces), also known as the chest, refers to that anatomical region of the body containing the heart and lungs, thoracic aorta, great vessels and surrounding structures, all contained within the thoracic cavity. It also includes the thoracic skeleton, the thoracic spine, and structures of the chest wall. It is contiguous superiorly with the neck, and inferiorly with the abdomen.
This anatomy section promotes the use of the Terminologia Anatomica, the international standard of anatomical nomenclature.
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- Serratus posterior inferior muscle
- Inferior thoracic aperture
- Anatomy curriculum
- Latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap
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- Body imaging
- Mediastinum
- Trauma
- Cardiac position
- Viscera
- Lesser diaphragmatic apertures
- Ectopia cordis
- Shoulder
- Diaphragm
Related articles: Anatomy: Radiological
The anatomy section is organised into seven expandable chapters based on regional body systems:
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
- oesophagus
- 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
Related articles: Anatomy: General
- anatomic position
-
anatomic nomenclature
-
Terminologia Anatomica
- superseded nomenclature
-
Terminologia Anatomica
- anatomic variants
- labelled imaging anatomy cases
- regional anatomy
- systems anatomy
- endocrine system
- lymphatic system
- reticuloendothelial system
- nervous system
- systems based on location
- systems based on function
- somatic nervous system
-
autonomic nervous system
- sympathetic nervous system
- parasympathetic nervous system
-
autonomic ganglia and plexuses
- craniofacial
- cervical
- thoracic
- abdominopelvic
- coccygeal
- histology
- osteology
- skeleton
- bones
- macroscopic structure
- microscopic structure
- bone growth
- fetal bone formation
- developmental ossification
- tubulation
- bone types
- nutrient foramen
- joints
- muscles
- organs
- embryology
- skin
- blood vessels
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