Thoracic plane (mnemonic)
A handy mnemonic to remember the structures found at the level of the thoracic plane (also known as the plane of Ludwig) is:
- CLAPTRAP
- RAT PLANT
Mnemonic
CLAPTRAP
- C: cardiac plexus
- L: ligamentum arteriosum
- A: aortic arch (inner concavity)
- P: pulmonary trunk
- T: tracheal bifurcation (carina)
- R: right-to-left movement of the thoracic duct (posterior to the esophagus)
- A: azygos vein drains into SVC
- P: pre-vertebral fascia and pre-tracheal fascia end
RAT PLANT
- R: rib 2
- A: aortic arch
- T: tracheal bifurcation
- P: pulmonary trunk
- L: ligamentum arteriosum
- A: azygos vein drains into SVC
-
N: nerves
- loop of recurrent laryngeal nerve
- parasympathetic: contributions to the cardiopulmonary plexuses
- sympathetic: branches of the cardiopulmonary splanchnic nerves
- T: right-to-left movement of the thoracic duct
Related Radiopaedia articles
Anatomy: Thoracic
- thoracic skeleton
- thoracic cage
- thoracic spine
- articulations
- muscles of the thorax
- diaphragm
- intercostal space
- intercostal muscles
- variant anatomy
- spaces of the thorax
- thoracic viscera
- tracheobronchial tree
-
lungs
-
bronchopulmonary segmental anatomy (Boyden Classification) (mnemonic)
- left lung
- right lung
- variant anatomy
- lung parenchyma
- hilum
- pleura
-
bronchopulmonary segmental anatomy (Boyden Classification) (mnemonic)
-
heart
- cardiac chambers
- heart valves
- pectinate muscles
- cardiac fibrous skeleton
- coronary arteries
- innervation of the heart
- fetal circulation
-
pericardium
- pericardial space
- oblique pericardial sinus
- transverse pericardial sinus
-
pericardial recesses
- aortic recesses
- pulmonic recesses
- postcaval recess
- pulmonary venous recesses
- pericardial ligaments
- epicardial fat pad
- esophagus
- thymus
- breast
- blood supply of the thorax
- arteries
-
thoracic aorta (development)
- ascending aorta
- aortic arch
- aortic isthmus
- descending aorta
- pulmonary trunk
-
thoracic aorta (development)
- veins
- superior vena cava (cavoatrial junction)
- inferior vena cava
-
coronary veins
- cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- great cardiac vein
- middle cardiac vein
- small cardiac vein
- posterior vein of the left ventricle
- vein of Marshall (oblique vein of the left atrium)
- anterior cardiac veins
- venae cordis minimae (smallest cardiac veins or thebesian veins)
- cardiac veins which drain into the coronary sinus
- pulmonary veins
- arteries
- lymphatics
- innervation of the thorax
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