Suprasternal notch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Suprasternal notch | |
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| Suprasternal notch | |
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| Anterolateral view of head and neck. (Jugular notch labeled at bottom center.) | |
| Latin | incisura jugularis sterni |
| Gray's | subject #27 120 |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | i_05/12447398 |
The suprasternal notch (Incisura jugularis sternalis) also known as the jugular notch, is part of the human anatomy and is a large visible dip where the neck joins the sternum. It is located at the top of the breastbone (sternum).
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[edit] Etymology
The prefix supra comes from Latin meaning above or over. Sternal is from the Greek word sternon meaning breast.
[edit] Anatomical location
The suprasternal notch is found at the superior border of the manubrium of the sternum, between the clavicular notches.
[edit] Evaluative tests using the suprasternal notch
Intrathoracic pressure is measured by using a transducer held in such a way over the body that an actuator engages the soft tissue that is located above the suprasternal notch.
Arcot J. Chandrasekhar, MD, FRCP, FACP, FCCP of Loyola University, Chicago, is the author of an evaluative test for the aorta using the suprasternal notch. The test can help to recgonise the following conditions:
- Aneurysm
- Dissecting aneurysm
- Atherosclerosis
- Hypertension
To carry out this test it is necessary to place an index finger or middle finger on the notch and palpate it. In a young normal person there should be no palpable pulse. Older patients will have a noticeable pulse. A prominent pulse could indicate aging,uncoiled aorta,arch aneurysm or hyperdynamic circulation whilst a pulse with a thrill could mean aortic stenosis or pulmonic stenosis.
[edit] As a zone of eroticism.
The suprasternal notch or well is seen as a point of attraction by many men and women, most famously indicated in the book and film "The English Patient" (book written by Michael Ondaatje, film directed by Anthony Minghella). Much of the novel and film is a testament to the symbolic nature of the female shape, but there is a distinct moment in the film when Count Laszlo de Almásy is waxing lyrical about Katharine Clifton's suprasternal notch. He is ignorant of its name and proclaims it to be the "Almásy Bosphorus." In the novel, Almasy and Katharine simply call this feature the "Bosphorus." He is later informed by a friend of its more prosaic name. In the film, the correct term is given, "the suprasternal notch." In the novel, however, Ondaatje gives an incorrect and entirely whimsical name, "the vascular sizood," to this feature.
The suprasternal notch can be highlighted subtly by women wearing such pendants or necklaces which rest in that area, to aid the focus of a man to rest subliminally on a part of the body that can be considered an erotic or sensual zone. In this way, the notch is more understated in exhibiting femininity than the usual areas (legs, chest, hips etc.) and is considered an erogenous zone.
[edit] External links
- Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine - Evaluative tests using the suprasternal notch
