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Second costal cartilage: anatomy, location and function

The bar of hyaline cartilage that connects the second rib to the sternum. Gives the rib cage elasticity, allowing the chest wall to expand during breathing.

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Highlighted in the model: Second costal cartilage. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Second costal cartilage at a glance

Also called
Costal cartilage 2
What it is
The bar of hyaline cartilage that connects the second rib to the sternum.
Location
Extends forward from the front end of rib 2. Joins the sternum at the sternal angle between the manubrium and body.
Function
Gives the rib cage elasticity, allowing the chest wall to expand during breathing.
Body system
Skeletal · paired (left and right)
FMA ID
FMA8031 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Its sternocostal joint is synovial with two compartments, one on the manubrium and one on the body. The sternal angle beside it is used as a landmark for counting ribs.
  • Costal cartilages may calcify with age.

Structures next to the second costal cartilage

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Second costal cartilage (FMA8031). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §7.1 Divisions of the Skeletal System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.