Xiphoid process
Lateral border of sternum.
Posterior surface of sternum.
Latin	processus xiphoideus
Gray's	subject #27 121
MeSH	Xiphoid+Bone

The xiphoid process is a small cartilaginous extension to the lower part of the sternum which is usually ossified in the adult human. By age 25 to 29, the xiphoid usually fuses to the body of the sternum with a fibrous joint. Unlike the synovial articulation of major joints, this is non movable. Much the way the first seven ribs articulate with the sternum, the cartilage in the solar plexus joins on the xiphoid process, reinforcing it, and indirectly attaches the costal cartilage to the sternum. Image File history File links Gray117. ... The sternum or breastbone is a long, flat bone located in the center of the thorax (chest). ... Image File history File links Gray116. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. ... In anatomy, a process (Latin: processus) is a projection or outgrowth of tissue from a larger body. ... Cartilage is a type of dense connective tissue. ... The sternum or breastbone is a long, flat bone located in the center of the thorax (chest). ... Grays Anatomy illustration of a human femur. ... The solar plexus, also known as the celiac plexus, plexus cœliacus or plexus solaris, is an autonomous cluster of nerve cells (see Plexus) in the human body behind the stomach and below the diaphragm near the celiac artery in the abdominal cavity. ...

The xiphoid process can be bifurcated, and sometimes perforated, naturally. These variances in morphology are inheritable, which can help group family members together when dealing with burial remains. These morphological differences pose no health risk, and are simply a difference in form.

Pressure on the xiphoid process should be avoided when administering chest compressions in CPR, as this can cause the xiphoid process to break off and be driven into the heart lining and muscle, resulting in punctures or lacerations of the heart muscle. Wikibooks has more about this subject: First Aid/CPR Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency first aid protocol for a victim of cardiac arrest. ...

In the birds, the xiphoid process is a long structure, often following the direction of the carina.

The word derives from the Greek word xiphos for straight sword, the tip of which the process somewhat resembles. Antique swords, fig. ...

Additional images

The diaphragm. Under surface. Image File history File links Gray391. ...