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

. 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 The inferior costal facet (or inferior costal fovea) is a site where a rib forms a joint with the inferior aspect of the body of a thoracic vertebra. In the adjacent picture, the arrow points to an inferior costal facet. The facets are named for ...

is located on the superior vertebrae. While these terms may be confusing, it helps to know that the

costal facet A costal facet is a site of connection between a rib and a vertebra. The costal facets are located on the vertebrae that the rib articulates with. They are the superior costal facet, the inferior costal facet The inferior costal facet (or inferior ...

s 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 The costovertebral joints are the joints that connect the ribs to the vertebral column. The articulation of the head of the rib connects the head of the rib to the bodies of the thoracic vertebrae. Structure The costotransverse joint connects th ...

." Bones of the thorax {{musculoskeletal-stub