Acromion

Acromion
Bone: Acromion
Gray206.png
Plan of ossification of the scapula. Posterior side. From seven centers. (Acromion visible at upper left, in blue.)
Gray205 left scapula lateral view.png
Left scapula. Lateral view. (Acromion labeled at upper right.)
Gray's subject #50 203

The acromion process, or simply the acromion (from Greek: akros, "highest", ōmos, "shoulder"), is an anatomical feature on the shoulder blade (scapula), together with the coracoid process extending laterally over the shoulder joint.

Contents

In humans

It is a continuation of the scapular spine, and hooks over anteriorly.

The acromion articulates with the clavicle to form the acromioclavicular joint.

The acromion forms the summit of the shoulder, and is a large, somewhat triangular or oblong process, flattened from behind forward, projecting at first lateralward, and then curving forward and upward, so as to overhang the glenoid cavity.

Surfaces

  • Its superior surface, directed upward, backward, and lateralward, is convex, rough, and gives attachment to some fibers of the Deltoideus, and in the rest of its extent is subcutaneous.
  • Its inferior surface is smooth and concave.

Borders

  • Its lateral border is thick and irregular, and presents three or four tubercles for the tendinous origins of the Deltoideus.
  • Its medial border, shorter than the lateral, is concave, gives attachment to a portion of the trapezius, and presents about its center a small oval surface for articulation with the acromial end of the clavicle.

Os acromiale

In childhood the acromion has a separate center of ossification and is joined to the rest of the scapula by cartilage. Rarely, the acromion stays in adulthood as a separate bone called "os acromiale". This feature was common in skeletons recovered from the Mary Rose shipwreck: it is thought that in those men, much archery practice from childhood on with the mediaeval war bow (which needs a pull 3 times as strong as the modern standard Olympic bow) pulled at the acromion so much that it prevented bony fusion of the acromion with the scapula.

In animals

The acromion process of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) is particularly elongated compared to that of humans.

Additional images

External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • acromion — [ akrɔmjɔ̃ ] n. m. • 1532; gr. akrômion « pointe de l épaule » ♦ Anat. Forte apophyse prolongeant l épine de l omoplate. ● acromion nom masculin (grec akrômion, pointe de l épaule) Saillie osseuse de l omoplate de forme triangulaire par laquelle… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • acromion — ACROMIÓN, acromioane, s.n. Apofiză a omoplatului care se articulează cu clavicula. [pr.: mi on] – Din fr. acromion. Trimis de ana zecheru, 13.09.2007. Sursa: DEX 98  acromión s. n. (sil. cro mi on), pl. acromioáne Trimis de siveco, 10.08.2004.… …   Dicționar Român

  • acromion — m. anat. Apófisis del omóplato de forma triangular que se articula con un extremo de la clavícula. Medical Dictionary. 2011. acromion …   Diccionario médico

  • Acromion — A*cro mi*on, n. [Gr. ?; a kros extreme + ? shoulder: cf. F. acromion.] (Anat.) The outer extremity of the shoulder blade. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Acromĭon — (lat. griech.), Schulterhöhe, s. Schultergürtel …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • ACROMION — ACROMION, см. Лопатка …   Большая медицинская энциклопедия

  • acromion — (Del gr. ἀκρώμιον). m. Anat. Apófisis del omóplato, con la que se articula la extremidad externa de la clavícula …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • acromion — [ə krō′mē ən] n. [Gr akrōmion < akrōmia, point of the shoulder < akros (see ACRO ) + ōmos, the shoulder] the outer upper point of the shoulder blade, or scapula …   English World dictionary

  • Acromion — Das Schulterblatt (lat. die Scapula) bildet beim Menschen den hinteren, bei Tieren den oberen Teil des knöchernen Schultergürtels. Es handelt sich beim Menschen und den übrigen Säugetieren um einen platten, dreieckigen Knochen. Bei Vögeln ist er… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Acromion — The projection of the scapula (the shoulder blade) that forms the point of the shoulder. The acromion is part of the scapula. It protrudes laterally (away from the midline) and is triangular in shape. The top of the shoulder is acromial. The word …   Medical dictionary

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