Inferior Costal Facet Of The Thoracic Vertebra, Lateral View

Description

Inferior costal facet (fovea costalis inferior) sits on the posterolateral margin of a thoracic vertebral body in this lateral view, forming a shallow, crescentic articular pit near the inferior endplate. Superiorly, the vertebral body contours toward the superior costal facet, while posteriorly the pedicle leads into the vertebral arch with the lamina and spinous process receding from the body. Along the same lateral column, the transverse process projects posteriorly, placing the costal demifacet anterior to the transverse costal facet where present at typical mid-thoracic levels. Small but exact. That demifacet is the bony half of a costovertebral joint, receiving the head of a rib together with the superior costal facet of the vertebra below, with the intervertebral disc and radiate ligament spanning between them. This is where clinicians localize pain generators in posterior chest wall syndromes and where inflammatory arthropathies such as ankylosing spondylitis can produce erosions, sclerosis, and eventual ankylosis that stiffens rib excursion. The fixed lateral perspective makes the relationship between the inferior endplate, posterolateral vertebral body, and articular surface easy to teach without confusion from overlapping posterior elements. Use this illustration for thoracic spine and rib articulation modules in gross anatomy, for orthopedic or radiology texts discussing costovertebral joint degeneration, and for patient-facing graphics explaining referred pain from costovertebral dysfunction versus thoracic disc disease. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.