THE THORAX : BONES AD JOINTS

BONES OF THE THORAX

Thoracic vertebrae – is the middle section in the spine.

Sternum – flat bone , breast bone and its only one

Ribs and costae – composed of 12 pairs left and right.

Costal cartilages – 12 pairs left and right
JOINTS OF THE THORAX

Costovertebral – between and the body of a vertebrae

Costotransverse – between a rib and a transverse process of vertebrae
Sternocostal or costosternal – between a rib cartilage and the sternum
Interchondral – between the adjacent anterior margins of costal cartilages of sixth to tenth
ribs
Sternoclavicular – between the sternum and the clavicle
Manubriosternal – between the manubrium and the body

Ribs has 12 pairs of thoracic cavity, the are two thoracic vertebrae each rib.
The fisrt rib is unusual because it has two costal grooves, one articular facet, and is wide and
short.
The second ribs is thin, long, nad has tuberosity on its superior suface for the attachment of
the serratus anterior muscle
The tenth rib has only one articular facet .
The eleventh and twelfth ribs have only one articular facet with no neck.

TRUE AND FALSE RIBS – the first seven pairs are attached directly to the sternum by costal
cartilages an are called true ribs, the 8th, 9th, 10th pairs are false ribs and do not join sternum
directly but are connected to the 7th rib by cartilage. The 11th and 12th ribs are the floating and
half sixe of the others ribs

ALTERNATIVE CLASSIFICATION
Vertebrosternal – upper seven pairs
Vertebronchondral ribs – 8th, 9th, 10th pairs
Vertebral ribs – 11th and 12th pairs
 THORACIC PECULIARITES AND RADIOGRAPHY
 A mounted skeleton should be viewed in the supine and prone position.
 The sternum in the prone position is completetly hidden by the thoracic vertebrae.
 The sternoclavicular joints and medial ends of the clavicles are also obscured by the
vertebrae unless an oblique position assumed
 The costal cartilages although visible in the skeleton are translucent and rherefore not
visible in radiographs unless they are calcified.
 Facts outlined above are remembered radiography of the thorax may be improved, it
must be emphasized, however, that radiography of the chest with its organs is
completely different from the radiography of the ribs sternum and thoracic vertebrae.

Thorax Disease

Thoracic degenerative disc disease - refers to the degeneration, or breakdown, of the shock-absorbing
intervertebral discs that cushion the vertebrae in the upper and middle back (called the thoracic
spine). It develops most frequently in middle-aged people or young adults with active lifestyles.

Asphyxiating Thoracic Dystrophy - is characterized by abnormal development of the rib cage (thorax)
resulting in a small thoracic cavity. The characteristic “bell-shaped” chest cavity restricts the growth of
the lungs and results in a variable degree of lung hypoplasia and breathing problems (respiratory
distress) in the newborn period.

Jeune syndrome - is an inherited disorder of bone growth characterized by a narrow chest, short ribs,
shortened bones in the arms and legs, short stature, and extra fingers and toes

REFERENCE:

https://www.britannica.com/science/rib-bone

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538328/

https://www.lancasterortho.com/conditions/neck-spine/thoracic-degenerative-disc-disease.html

https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/dystrophy-asphyxiating-thoracic/

https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/asphyxiating-thoracic-dystrophy/