A Case Report of a Left long leaf of a Bifid Xiphisternum Misdiagnosed Intraoperatively as a Xeno-osteum and Iatrogenically Excised

Abstract

Anatomical variations and aberrations represent an ever-present challenge to clinicians in general and surgeons in particular. This is particularly true if the variation is rare and the clinical context doesn’t permit a thorough investigation, such as would happen intraoperatively. The unfamiliarity with abnormal anatomy and contextual time constraints may preclude their timely recognition, which may result, subsequently in significant morbidity. The shifting paradigms in anatomy education in both undergraduate and residency medical programs may be linked to an increasingly cited “abnormal anatomy “as a cause for morbidity and mortality in litigious literature. Therefore, Continuous, and self-directed learning, in the face of diminished formal anatomy curricula, is essential to achieving this end. In this case report we describe an incident of iatrogenic excision of a leaf of a bifid xiphisternum mistaken for a migrated ingested bone and the clinical lessons imparted from it. We also provide a relevant literature review.