DENVER â This month, Kaiser Permanente Colorado launches a PPO (preferred provider organization) suite of products as part of its expanded product portfolio for large businesses. Denver/Boulder employers with more than 50 employees can now choose coverage from three suites of products, HMO, PPO and POS insurance plans.
Xiphoid Process Pain â Anatomy, Causes and Treatment. The xiphoid process, also called xiphosternum and metasternum, lies at the level of 10th thoracic vertebrae. It is also the lowest and the smallest part of the sternum, marks the lower limit of the thoracic cavity and the lower border of the heart. At birth, the xiphoid process is cartilaginous, but it slowly ossifies (turns to bone) from the central core after middle age (usually around 40 years of age).
This anatomy varies with respect to the different topographic regions of the abdomen; thus, a firm understanding of these layers, their blood supply, and their innervation is essential to surgical management of the abdomen. The abdominal cavity is the largest hollow space in the body. It is bound cranially by the xiphoid process of the sternum and the costal cartilages of ribs 7-10; caudally, by the anterior ilium and the pubic bone of the pelvis; anteriorly, by the abdominal wall musculature; and posteriorly, by the L1-L5 vertebrae.