Superior costal facet

Superior costal facet

Peculiar thoracic vertebræ.
Details
Latin fovea costalis superior

Anatomical terms of bone

The superior costal facet (or superior costal fovea) is a site where a rib forms a joint with the top of a vertebra.

Ribs connect to the thoracic vertebrae at two main points, the inferior and superior costal facets. These connection points are located on two different vertebrae that are located on top of one another. The superior costal facet is located on the inferior thoracic vertebrae. The inferior costal facet is located on the superior vertebrae. While these terms may be confusing, it helps to know that the costal facets are named for their position on the vertebral body itself, NOT for the part of the rib that they articulate with. Costal facets only apply to ribs 2-9. Ribs 1, 10, 11, and 12 articulate completely onto the thoracic vertebrae rather than in between two of them.[1][2]

References

This article incorporates text in the public domain from the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. Saladin (2006). Anatomy and Physiology Unity of Form and Function. McGraw Hill. pp. 256–257.
  2. "Thoracic costal facets" (PDF). palmer.edu. Retrieved 11 December 2013.



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