This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Surface anatomy on thorax

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

In fit, young individuals, both the pericardium and the heart - the heart's sternocostal surface - have very similar topography on the anterior chest wall:

  • right border:
    • third right costal cartilage, 1-2 centimetres lateral to the sternum inferiorly to the 5th right chondrosternal junction
    • this border is slightly curved with its concavity medially
    • corresponds to the lateral margin of the right atrium
  • inferior border:
    • 5th right chondrosternal junction to the apex beat, typically in the left fifth intercostal space in the midclavicular line
    • corresponds to the inferior margin of the right ventricle
  • left border:
    • inferior border of second left costal cartilage 2-3cm lateral to sternal edge inferiorly and obliquely down to apex beat
    • corresponds to the left margin of the left ventricle
  • superior border:
    • third right costal cartilage 1-2cm lateral to the sternum to inferior border of second left costal cartilage 2-3cm from the sternum
    • the line slopes superiorly slightly from right to left
    • corresponds to the superior border of the atria

Also, it must be remembered that the fibrous pericardium, and to a lesser extent the serous pericardium, extend along the roots of the great vessels.

The surface markings of the heart are approximated by the cardiovascular silhouette on a standard posteroanterior chest radiogram. It can also be approximated by percussion on the anterior thorax - the area of superficial cardiac dullness.


Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page