A 'bifid rib' or 'bifurcated
rib' or 'sternum bifidum' is a
congenital abnormality occurring in about 1.2% of the population. Bifid ribs occur in up to 8.4% of Samoans. The
sternal end of the rib is cleaved into two. It is usually
unilateral.
Effects of this neuroskeletal anomaly can include
respiratory difficulties,
neurological difficulties, limitations,and limited energy from the stress of needing to compensate for the
neurophysiological difficulties, but bifid ribs are usually asymptomatic. They are often incidentally discovered by chest x-ray.
External links
★
Image
★
bifid rib collaborative blog