Fractured Body of the Breastbone, Anterior View

Description

Centered in the anterior thorax, the sternum is presented with the manubrium superiorly, the sternal body (gladiolus) forming the long middle segment, and the xiphoid process tapering inferiorly. Along the lateral margins of the body, the costal notches mark the articulations for the costal cartilages, while the manubriosternal junction sits superior to the fracture as the palpable sternal angle. A discrete fracture line traverses the body of the sternum, emphasized to show the break across the flat anterior surface. No soft tissue distracts. Bone only. Sternal body fractures most often follow blunt anterior chest trauma, classically a restrained driver striking the shoulder harness in a motor vehicle collision, and they can also occur iatrogenically after vigorous CPR. Because the fracture lies directly anterior to the mediastinum, this view supports teaching the relationship to retrosternal structures, including the pericardium and right ventricle, and it prompts discussion of associated injuries such as pulmonary contusion, cardiac contusion, and injury to the internal thoracic (internal mammary) vessels that descend parasternal. It also clarifies why CT is commonly preferred when plain radiographs underestimate displacement, and why a parasternal approach is chosen when fixation is required. Ideal for anatomy lab lectures on the anterior thoracic wall, trauma modules in emergency medicine and radiology curricula, and textbook figures contrasting manubrial, sternal body, and xiphoid injuries by mechanism. It also fits orthopaedic and cardiothoracic teaching files that need a clean anterior reference for fracture location and terminology (sternum, breastbone, gladiolus). Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.