Thorax

What the Thorax page covers

The resources here follow the chest from the outside in. Some look at the thoracic wall: the sternum, ribs, costal cartilages, thoracic vertebrae and intervertebral discs. Others move on to the pleura and lungs, the mediastinum, the heart in situ and the nerves and vessels that run through the chest. There are also resources on the breast, pectoral and axillary regions.

Where to begin

Open the Thorax Anatomy mind map first. It sets out the pleural cavities, the parietal pleura that lines the chest wall and secretes pleural fluid, and the visceral pleura. That gives you a frame to hang details on.

Next, choose a flashcard deck for the area you are studying:

• Thorax 1: Anatomy of the Thoracic Wall for the skeleton and joints.
• RCA Thorax 2: Pleura and lungs for locations and clinical points.
• RCA Thorax 3: Mediastinum and Heart in situ for left and right mediastinal structures and the phrenic and vagus nerves.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a mind map, then close it and take a quiz on the same topic. The Mediastinum quiz asks about the boundaries: superior, inferior, lateral and anterior. The Inferior Mediastinum mind map lays out the anterior, middle and posterior divisions, so you can check your answers against it. Where a quiz catches you out, go back to the map branch and the matching flashcards.

Teachers can use the same sets as ready-made starting points for a revision session or a practical class. Anatomy practicals week 3 is a handy example, with questions on the thoracic cage, the diaphragm's nerve supply and the trachea.

Where this unit fits

Thorax sits in the strand Regional Anatomy: Trunk and Limbs, within Anatomy. Almost all of the resources are written at university level, and they were made by GoConqr users rather than by GoConqr itself.

Pick one topic today, work through a map and a quiz, then make your own flashcards for the parts that did not stick.