Anatomy of sternal foramina and their clinical significance

Pooja Dawani; Anita Mahajan; Shahid Bakhsh Rangrej; Neelam Vasudeva

Volume : VI, Issue : IX, September - 2017

Anatomy of sternal foramina and their clinical significance

Pooja Dawani, Anita Mahajan, Shahid Bakhsh Rangrej, Neelam Vasudeva

Abstract :

The sternum develops from two mesenchymal bars that fuse together in the midline. Any defect in the fusion may result in a sternal foramen. It may pose a great hazard during sternal marrow biopsy, when the needle can cause cardiac or great vessel injury. The present study was conducted on 75 sternal bones to determine the incidence of sternal foramina. The location and size of the foramen were also studied. The foramina were encountered in 6 bones (8%). The average distance measured from the sternal angle was 7.01�0.22 cm. The maximum longitudinal and transverse diameters of the foramen were 3.48�1.24 mm and 3.13�1.24 mm respectively. Prior CT is recommended before any invasive procedure on sternum to avoid complications.