costal facet

In the picture to the right, the arrow points to an inferior costal facet.

The inferior costal facet is located on the superior vertebrae.

Due to this direct attachment, vertebra T10 has a complete costal facet on its body.

Ribs connect to the thoracic vertebrae at two main points, the inferior and superior costal facets.

Costal facet can refer to:

Costal facet (disambiguation)

Similarly, the superior costal facet is superior on the vertebral body but is inferior on the rib.

The superior costal facet (or superior costal fovea) is a site where a rib forms a joint with the top of a vertebra.

The thoracic vertebrae attach to ribs and so have articular facets specific to them; these are the superior, transverse and inferior costal facets.

While these terms may be confusing, it helps to know that the costal facets are named for their position on the vertebral body itself, NOT for the part of the rib that they articulate with.