Gray's Anatomy

Respiratory diaphragm and phrenic nerves

The respiratory diaphragm is a domed musculofibrous sheet, approximately 2–4 mm thick that separates the thoracic and abdominopelvic cavities ( Fig. 55.1 ). The superior surface of the respiratory diaphragm is mainly convex and forms the floor of the thoracic…

Pleura, lungs, trachea and bronchi

The lungs are the essential organs of respiration and are responsible for the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood. The functional anatomy of the thorax and respiratory diaphragm facilitates this complex process. Acting together, the muscles of…

Chest wall and breast

The chest wall surrounds the thoracic cavity. It is formed by: an osseocartilaginous frame consisting normally of 12 pairs of ribs, which articulate with the 12 thoracic vertebrae posteriorly and (except for the last two or three pairs of ribs)…

Thorax: overview and surface anatomy

The thorax is the upper part of the trunk. It consists of an external musculoskeletal cage, the thoracic wall and an internal cavity that contains the heart, lungs, oesophagus, trachea and main bronchi, thymus, vagus and phrenic nerves, sympathetic trunks…

Instability of the shoulder – a neurological disease

This commentary addresses glenohumeral instability (GHI), although the analysis of stability and its perturbation, and the system of classification described, is applicable to all articulations in which the experience of symptomatic abnormal motion (the clinical syndrome of instability) is reported…

Nerve biomechanics

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Wrist and hand

Skin and Soft Tissues Skin Dorsal skin versus palmar skin The dorsal skin is thin, mobile and frequently hirsute over the proximal phalanges and the ulnar aspect of the dorsum of the hand. The skin of the palm and the…

Elbow and forearm

Skin and Soft Tissues Skin Cutaneous vascular supply The skin of the elbow and forearm receives its blood supply from muscle perforators, fasciocutaneous networks and direct cutaneous vessels. The skin of the anterolateral cubital fossa is supplied by muscle perforators…

Shoulder girdle and arm

The upper limb is differentiated to achieve the complex patterns of stereotactic, non-stereotactic and gestural movements (each with a distinct neurological basis) that enable hand function. The combined movements of the shoulder and elbow bring objects in the hand into…