Costotransverse joint

Costotransverse articulations
Costotransverse articulation. Seen from above.
Section of the costotransverse joints from the third to the ninth inclusive. Contrast the concave facets on the upper with the flattened facets on the lower transverse processes.
Latin	articulatio costotransversaria
Gray's	subject #76 300

The facet of the tubercle of the rib forms an articulation with the adjacent transverse process of a thoracic vertebra. This is a plane type synovial joint called the costotransverse joint.

This articulation is present in all but the eleventh and twelfth ribs. Ribs 1 to 10 have two joints in close proximity posteriorly; the costovertebral joints and the costotranseverse joints. This arrangement restrains the motion of the ribs allowing them to work in a parallel fashion during breathing. If a typical rib had only one joint posteriorly the resultant swivel action would allow a rib to be non-parallel with respect to the neighboring ribs making for a very inefficient respiratory mechanism. The ventral rami innervate the costotransverse joints. Therefore, therapeutic medial branch blocks are ineffectual.

The ligaments of the joint are:

• Articular capsule
• Costotransverse ligament
  • Posterior costotransverse
  • Anterior costotransverse
• Ligament of neck of rib
• Ligament of tubercle of rib

External links

• 53805114 at GPnotebook

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.