Where the ribs of the anterior chest cross is the sternum.
The sternum is located in the center of the anterior chest wall and is a flat bone that is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, convex at the front and concave at the back, and is divided into three parts, i.e., the sternal styloid, the body of the sternum and the raphe.
1. Sternocleidomastoid: there are notches on both sides connecting with the clavicle, and the lateral edge of the sternocleidomastoid is connected with the 1st rib cartilage.
2. Sternal body: its sides are connected to the 2nd to 7th rib cartilages.
3. raphe: the base is attached to the body of the sternum, and the lower end is free. The raphe is variable in shape and is located between the right and left costal arches.
The sternum, together with the ribs and the posterior lateral vertebrae, forms the bony scaffolding of the chest, which provides excellent protection for the organs in the thoracic cavity, and especially plays a very important role in the protection of the heart and lungs.