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Regional structure

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

The ribs of the thoracic cage may be classified according to their regional articulation anteriorly:

  • vertebrosternal ribs: ribs 2-6 or 7
  • vertebrocostal ribs: ribs 7 or 8 to 10
  • 'floating' ribs: ribs 11 and 12

An alternative scheme is:

  • true ribs; articulate with vertebrae and sternum directly - the vertebrosternal group
  • false ribs; articulate with vertebrae directly and sternum indirectly (via costal cartilage of another rib) or not at all. Comprise ribs 8 to 12 on each side.

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