The manubriosternal joint.–In the majority of cases the joint between the manubrium and the body of the sternum is cartilaginous in character, the bony surfaces being coated with cartilage and connected by a disc of fibrocartilage, which occasionally becomes ossified in advanced life. In rather more than thirty per cent of subjects the central part of the disc undergoes absorption and the joint is converted into a synovial one, the two segments of the bone are also connected by the fibrous membrane which envelops the bone.
The xiphisternal joint.-The joint between the xiphoid process and the body of the sternum is also a secondary cartilaginous joint, but it is usually converted into a synostosis by the fifteenth year.
Previous | Next
