https://lmj.ly/index.php/ojs <p><strong>Libyan Medical Journal</strong> (LMJ) (<a href="https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/3107-0426"><strong>ISSN</strong>:3107-0426</a>), formerly known as <strong>Jamahiriya Medical Journal</strong> (JMJ), is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that encompasses all fundamental and clinical aspects of medical sciences, with an emphasis on the clinical and disease-oriented studies.</p> <p><strong>Scope</strong> of the journal includes: Medicine, nursing and allied health sciences, pharmacy, pathology, anatomy, pharmacology, toxicology, surgery, physiology, and other related fields. </p> Libyan Board of Medical Specialties en-US Libyan Medical Journal 2079-1216 https://lmj.ly/index.php/ojs/article/view/277 <p><strong>Introduction:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;">. The sternum is one of the skeletal elements that most frequently exhibits morphological variability in cross-sectional imaging and autopsy series. Congenital anatomical variations of the anterior chest wall can closely mimic, or be obscured by, acquired pathologies such as malignancies, fractures, or severe chest trauma. Therefore, a precise understanding of these benign variants is critical to prevent diagnostic errors. This study aimed to identify the prevalence and morphological diversity of anatomical variations of the sternum within a Libyan population in Benghazi using multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scans.</span></p> <p><strong>Material and method:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out from September 2024 to March 2026. The information was collected from 320 randomly chosen chest CT scans of patients who came to the Benghazi Medical Center (BMC). Patients are male and female Libyan patients (159 women and 161 men) aged 10 and above. Two examiners examined each scan.</span> <span style="font-weight: 400;">The data collected was analyzed and results were obtained.</span></p> <p><strong>Results:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> This retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated the prevalence and morphological diversity of sternal variations using MDCT scans of 320 Libyan patients (161 males, 159 females) at the Benghazi Medical Center. The findings revealed that anatomical variants are relatively common, occurring in 26.25% (n = 84) of the total population, with a higher overall prevalence observed in males (32.3%) than in females (20.1%). Variations of the xiphoid process heavily dominated the cohort, with a double-ended (bifid) xiphoid process emerging as the single most common anomaly (33.3%, n = 28), followed by the sternal foramen (17.9%, n = 15), which uniquely demonstrated a female predominance. Furthermore, complex or rare anomalies such as triple-ended and four-ended xiphoid processes, bilateral suprasternal bones, and manubrial foramina were observed exclusively in male subjects, while 10.7% of all variant cases presented with multiple co-occurring anomalies.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> These regional baseline data underscore the clinical importance of pre-procedural thoracic imaging to prevent diagnostic errors or inadvertent iatrogenic punctures during invasive chest wall interventions.</span></p> Osama Ambarak Eiman Leias Rehab Benarous Fieras Monier Alla Elgaddafi Copyright (c) 2026 Libyan Medical Journal 2026-06-01 2026-06-01 301 307 10.69667/lmj.26601