lateral arcuate ligament

{{Short description|Thoracic cavity muscle}}

{{Infobox anatomy

| Name = Lateral arcuate ligament

| Latin = ligamentum arcuatum laterale

| Image = Gray391.png

| Caption = The diaphragm. Under surface. (Lat. arcuate ligament visible at bottom left.)

| Image2 =

| Caption2 =

| System =

| Precursor =

}}

The lateral arcuate ligament (also lateral lumbocostal arch and external arcuate ligament) is a ligament under the diaphragm that arches across the upper part of the quadratus lumborum muscle. It is traversed by the subcostal nerve, artery and vein.

Structure

The lateral arcuate ligament runs from the front of the transverse process of the first lumbar vertebra, and, laterally, to the tip and lower margin of the twelfth rib.{{Cite journal|last1=Coakley|first1=Fergus V.|last2=Grant|first2=Michael John|last3=Behr|first3=Spencer|last4=Foster|first4=Bryan R|last5=Korngold|first5=Elena K|last6=Didier|first6=Ryne A|date=2014-07-01|title=Imaging of invasive thymoma in the costophrenic recess presenting as thickening of arcuate ligaments of the diaphragm |journal=Clinical Imaging|language=en|volume=38|issue=4|pages=529–531|doi=10.1016/j.clinimag.2014.02.002|pmid=24629791|issn=0899-7071|pmc=4048795}} It forms an arch over the quadratus lumborum muscle.

=Variations=

The lateral arcuate ligament is commonly described in anatomy textbooks as attaching at the first lumbar vertebra (L1). However, other instances have been found in cadaver studies with attachments at either the second (L2) or third (L3) lumbar vertebra.{{cite journal |vauthors=Deviri E, Nathan H, Luchansky E |title=Medial and lateral arcuate ligaments of the diaphragm: attachment to the transverse process |journal=Anat Anz |volume=166 |issue=1–5 |pages=63–7 |year=1988 |pmid=3189849}}

In around 5% of people, inferolateral extensions of the lateral arcuate ligaments, such as thickened nodular areas, are found adjacent to the lateral diaphragmatic surface which can be visualized with computed tomography (CT) scans.{{cite journal |vauthors=Silverman PM, Cooper C, Zeman RK |title=Lateral arcuate ligaments of the diaphragm: anatomic variations at abdominal CT |journal=Radiology |volume=185 |issue=1 |pages=105–8 |year=1992 |pmid=1523290 |doi=10.1148/radiology.185.1.1523290}}

History

The lateral arcuate ligaments were described by Galen, as early as AD 177. This was found in his animal dissections performed as part of his Rome lectures, collected in De Anatomicus Administrationibus.Galen, Singer C (Trans.) "Galen on anatomical procedures: de Anatomicis administrationibus", Oxford University Press, 1956, p143.[https://archive.org/stream/b20457194#page/142/mode/2up]{{cite journal |vauthors=Derenne JP, Debru A, Grassino AE, Whitelaw WA |title=History of diaphragm physiology: the achievements of Galen |journal=Eur. Respir. J. |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=154–60 |year=1995 |pmid=7744182 |doi= 10.1183/09031936.95.08010154|doi-access=free }}

See also

References

{{Gray's}}