Anatom3DLeft fourth rib
Costa quarta sinistra · Levé čtvrté žebro
Skeleton
Looks like
A typical upper-chest rib; in men the nipple usually lies over the gap below it.
What it does
Protects the lungs and heart and serves as a landmark over the heart.
Keeping it well
The fourth–fifth rib space is a landmark for ECG leads and heart examination. Isolated fractures usually heal on their own.
Related conditions
- Acromegaly
- Fractures
- Fragility fracture
- Frailty & falls in older age
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Osteogenesis imperfecta (brittle bone disease)
- Osteomalacia & rickets
- Osteomyelitis (bone infection)
- Osteoporosis
- Paget's disease of bone
- Pleural effusion
- Pneumothorax
- Sarcoma
- Vitamin B1, C and other deficiencies
- Vitamin D deficiency