The lateral arcuate ligament (also lateral lumbocostal arch and external arcuate ligament) is a

ligament A ligament is the fibrous connective tissue that connects bones to other bones. It is also known as ''articular ligament'', ''articular larua'', ''fibrous ligament'', or ''true ligament''. Other ligaments in the body include the: * Peritoneal li ...

under the diaphragm that arches across the upper part of the

quadratus lumborum muscle The quadratus lumborum muscle, informally called the ''QL'', is a paired muscle of the left and right posterior abdominal wall. It is the deepest abdominal muscle, and commonly referred to as a back muscle. Each is irregular and quadrilateral in sh ...

. It is traversed by the

subcostal nerve The subcostal nerve (anterior division of the twelfth thoracic nerve) is larger than the others. It runs along the lower border of the twelfth rib, often gives a communicating branch to the first lumbar nerve, and passes under the lateral lumbocost ...

artery An artery (plural arteries) () is a blood vessel in humans and most animals that takes blood away from the heart to one or more parts of the body (tissues, lungs, brain etc.). Most arteries carry oxygenated blood; the two exceptions are the pul ...

and

vein Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated b ...

Structure

The lateral arcuate ligament runs from the front of the transverse process of the first

lumbar vertebra The lumbar vertebrae are, in human anatomy, the five vertebrae between the rib cage and the pelvis. They are the largest segments of the vertebral column and are characterized by the absence of the foramen transversarium within the transverse p ...

, and, laterally, to the tip and lower margin of the twelfth

rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ches ...

. It forms an arch over the

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 A cadaver or corpse is a dead human body that is used by medical students, physicians and other scientists to study anatomy, identify disease sites, determine causes of death, and provide tissue to repair a defect in a living human being. Stud ...

studies with attachments at either the second (L2) or third (L3) lumbar vertebra. 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.

History

The lateral arcuate ligaments were described by

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one of ...

, as early as AD 177. This was found in his animal dissections performed as part of his

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

lectures, collected in ''De Anatomicus Administrationibus''.Galen, Singer C (Trans.) "Galen on anatomical procedures: de Anatomicis administrationibus", Oxford University Press, 1956, p14

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References

External links

* - "The abdominal surface of the diaphragm." * () {{Authority control Ligaments of the torso Thoracic diaphragm

Structure

Variations

History

See also

References

External links