Left musculus sternalis.

During routine dissection in the Morphological Sciences Department II of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the presence of a sternalis muscle was observed in the left hemithorax of a 70-year-old male cadaver. We report on its position, relationships, and innervation, as well as its clinical relevance, indicating some guidelines for its physical examination. We also present a brief overview of the existing literature regarding the nomenclature, historical reports, and incidence of this muscle. Copyright 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.