T11 or Eleventh Thoracic Vertebra, Lateral View

Description

Viewed laterally, the eleventh thoracic vertebra (T11) is shown with its stout vertebral body anteriorly and the vertebral arch posteriorly, forming the vertebral foramen between them. The pedicle bridges the body to the lamina, which converges toward a posteriorly directed spinous process, while the superior and inferior articular processes project at the junction of pedicle and lamina. Laterally, the transverse process is short and blunt and, consistent with T11, lacks a transverse costal facet for the tubercle of a rib; the superior costal demifacet on the vertebral body still participates in the costovertebral joint with rib 11. T11 sits at the thoracolumbar junction, a segment where thoracic rigidity gives way to lumbar mobility, so this level comes up often when you are teaching transitional anatomy and when you are mapping pain patterns from compression fractures. The absent transverse costal facet helps distinguish T11 and T12 from mid-thoracic vertebrae during surgical planning and radiology readouts, where counting errors can lead to wrong-level instrumentation. Short transverse processes also change the relationship to rib-bearing landmarks, affecting posterior approaches and the expected course of segmental vessels along the vertebral body. Use this lateral T11 illustration in gross anatomy and osteology labs, spine modules in physiotherapy and chiropractic curricula, and as a reference plate for textbooks covering thoracic vertebra identification and rib articulations. It also fits well in clinical teaching files discussing thoracolumbar burst fractures, kyphoplasty level selection, and vertebral numbering on lateral radiographs and CT. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.