Xiphoid process

Looks like

A small tongue of cartilage at the bottom tip of the breastbone, slowly turning to bone with age.

What it does

Anchors part of the diaphragm and the top of the abdominal muscles.

Keeping it well

Often felt suddenly as a hard lump under the breastbone and mistaken for a tumour — it is normal. Hands placed too low during CPR can snap it, which is why compressions go on the lower half of the breastbone, not its tip.

Related conditions

• Acromegaly
• Costochondritis
• 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