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Portrait of Thoracic vertebra

Anatomy · Bones

Thoracic vertebra

Twelve vertebrae, T1 to T12

Spine · chest

The twelve thoracic vertebrae, T1 to T12, form the middle section of the spine and are the ones that carry the ribs. They have heart-shaped bodies, small round vertebral foramina, and long spinous processes that slope steeply downward. Together with the ribs and sternum they form the thoracic cage, protecting the heart and lungs.

How to spot them

  • ▸Heart-shaped vertebral body with small facets (demi-facets) on each side for the heads of the ribs
  • ▸Extra facets on the tips of the transverse processes (T1 to T10) for the rib tubercles
  • ▸Long spinous process slanting downward, overlapping the vertebra below like roof tiles
  • ▸Circular vertebral foramen; the only vertebrae attached to ribs

What to know

The twelve vertebrae, each linked to a pair of ribs, that form the back of the chest

Thoracic vertebrae — T1 to T12.

Vertebrae with small paired facets on the sides of the body, where the heads of the ribs sit, and further facets on the transverse processes

Thoracic vertebrae — costal demi-facets and transverse costal facets.

Long, downward-sloping spines overlap like roof tiles, making needle access to the canal difficult and protecting the cord

Thoracic vertebrae — the reason lumbar puncture is done lower.

A heart-shaped body and a round vertebral foramen distinguish them from the kidney-shaped and triangular ones of the lumbar spine

Thoracic vertebrae — heart-shaped bodies.

A hunched, exaggerated backward curvature of this part of the spine, often from osteoporosis or wedge-shaped vertebrae in Scheuermann's disease

Thoracic vertebrae — kyphosis.

In the rib-bearing part of the spine, the topmost vertebra has a whole facet on its upper edge because it alone meets the first rib

Thoracic vertebrae — T1, an atypical thoracic vertebra.

Key ideas

  • Each rib meets the spine in two places: the costovertebral joint (head with the vertebral body demi-facets) and the costotransverse joint (tubercle with the transverse process).
  • The thoracic curve is a primary curve, retained from the fetal C-shape, concave forward.

Quick-fire facts

  • •Twelve thoracic vertebrae between the cervical and lumbar spine
  • •Bodies are heart-shaped and increase in size from above downward
  • •Costal facets on the transverse processes are present on T1 to T10 only
  • •Typical thoracic vertebrae (T2 to T9) have two demi-facets on each side of the body
  • •The costotransverse joints are absent at T11 and T12
  • •Thoracic kyphosis is the commonest curve abnormality, and osteoporosis a common cause in older people
  • •The thoracic spinal canal is narrow, so cord injury from a fracture here is more serious than in other regions
  • •Together with the sternum and ribs they form the thoracic cage, protecting the heart, lungs and oesophagus

Drill it — 7 cards

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Sources