The T6 dermatome is a band around the lower chest at the level of the xiphoid process, the lower tip of the sternum. It runs from the back round to the front midline on each side. Its skin is supplied by the sixth intercostal nerve.
| Nerve root | T6 |
|---|---|
| Area | Band around the lower chest at the level of the xiphoid process |
| How to test | Light touch and pinprick are compared side to side at the ISNCSCI key sensory point: in the midclavicular line at the level of the xiphisternum. |
| Nerve Supply | Sixth intercostal nerve (lateral and anterior cutaneous branches); Posterior rami of thoracic spinal nerves |
Carries touch, pain and temperature sensation from this strip of skin to the spinal cord through the T6 dorsal root.
The xiphoid is the usual landmark for T6. In spinal cord injury, lesions at T6 or above carry a risk of autonomic dysreflexia, a dangerous rise in blood pressure triggered by stimuli below the injury. Dermatome maps differ between sources (Foerster, Keegan and Garrett, and modern evidence-based maps disagree), and neighbouring dermatomes overlap, so borders are approximate.
Reactivated varicella zoster virus in the T6 dorsal root ganglion causes a painful band of blistering rash confined to this dermatome, sometimes followed by postherpetic neuralgia.
Injury at this level or higher can cause autonomic dysreflexia, with sudden severe hypertension triggered by bladder or bowel distension.
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