TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Nonmuscular Diseases of the Chest Wall A1 - Tzelepis, George E. A1 - Dennis McCool, F. A2 - Grippi, Michael A. A2 - Elias, Jack A. A2 - Fishman, Jay A. A2 - Kotloff, Robert M. A2 - Pack, Allan I. A2 - Senior, Robert M. A2 - Siegel, Mark D. PY - 2015 T2 - Fishman's Pulmonary Diseases and Disorders, 5e AB - The chest wall is a major component of the respiratory pump and consists of the rib cage and abdomen. It is inflated by the inspiratory muscles of the rib cage and the diaphragm and its integrity is key to sustaining ventilation. Disorders affecting the nonmuscular structures of the chest wall (the thoracic spine, ribs, costovertebral joints, abdominal wall, and sternum) may lead to respiratory dysfunction. When the integrity of these nonmuscular components is severely compromised, respiratory failure may ensue. The pathophysiology of disorders affecting these nonmuscular components is generally related to the imposition of excessive elastic loads placed on the respiratory muscles. In some disorders, such as kyphoscoliosis (KS) and obesity, the load on the respiratory muscles is chronic and progressive. By contrast, with flail chest, the load on the respiratory muscles is acute. If the respiratory muscles had not adapted or had little time to adapt to loads that increase the work of breathing, respiratory failure may quickly ensue. Other disorders, such as ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and pectus excavatum, have a minimal impact on respiratory function. Diseases directly affecting the respiratory muscles are discussed in Chapter 84. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1122363991 ER -