Clinical Respiratory Anatomy and Physiology

The intrinsic muscles can raise or lower the ribs and are activated during breathing, particularly forced breathing: it is believed that their primary action is to stiffen the chest wall, preventing paradoxical movement during inspiration. The diaphragm is a curved musculotendinous lamina attached to the circumference of the lower opening of the thorax and to the high lumbar vertebrae. The diaphragm forms the floor of the chest cavity and separates it from the abdominal cavity. From its highest point on each side, the diaphragm slopes downwards towards its costal and vertebral attachment points: this slope is more evident posteriorly, where the space between the diaphragm and the posterior wall of the thorax is very narrow. Cerebrovascular accident (CVA) is the acute onset of neurological dysfunction, resulting in signs and symptoms that correspond to the involvement of focal areas of the brain due to an abnormality in cerebral circulation. The aim of our study was therefore to check the lung capacity of stroke patients.