The superior costal facet (or superior costal fovea) is a site where a

rib In vertebrate anatomy, ribs ( la, costae) are the long curved bones which form the rib cage, part of the axial skeleton. In most tetrapods, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the ch ...

forms a joint with the top of a

vertebra The spinal column, a defining synapomorphy shared by nearly all vertebrates, Hagfish are believed to have secondarily lost their spinal column is a moderately flexible series of vertebrae (singular vertebra), each constituting a characterist ...

. 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.

References

External links

* - "The costovertebral joint." Bones of the thorax {{musculoskeletal-stub