Suprasternal notch

Suprasternal notch
Suprasternal notch
Anterolateral view of head and neck. (Jugular notch labeled at bottom center.)
Details
Identifiers
Latin	Incisura jugularis sternalis, fossa jugularis sterni
TA	A02.3.03.004
FMA	7542
Anatomical terms of bone []

The suprasternal notch (fossa jugularis sternalis), also known as the jugular notch, is part of human anatomy. It is a large, visible dip in between the neck and the collarbone.

The jugular notch is found at the superior border of the manubrium of the sternum, between the clavicular notches.

Intrathoracic pressure is measured by using a transducer held in such a way over the body that an actuator engages the soft tissue that is located above the suprasternal notch. Arcot J. Chandrasekhar, MD of Loyola University, Chicago, is the author of an evaluative test for the aorta using the suprasternal notch. The test can help to recognise the following conditions:

To carry out this test it is necessary to place an index finger or middle finger on the notch and palpate it. A prominent pulse may be indicative of an uncoiled aorta, arch aneurysm, or a tortuous blood vessel. The most likely cause of a suprasternal pulse in an adult is an aortic arch aneurysm, while the most likely cause in a child is coarctation of the aorta.

The suprasternal notch or well, is seen as a point of attraction by many and can be subtly enhanced by the wearing of pendants or necklaces which rest in that area, to draw focus to a part of the body that can be considered an erotic or sensual zone. Highlighting the notch in this way is more understated in exhibiting sensuality than the usual areas (legs, chest, hips etc.) and makes it an erogenous zone.

The suprasternal notch appears in the 1941 Alfred Hitchcock thriller Suspicion, where it is given by screenwriter Samson Raphaelson the whimsical name "ucipital mapilary". This neologism is repeated by Count Dracula in Mel Brooks' 1995 satire Dracula: Dead and Loving It, played by Leslie Nielsen.