The thoracic vertebral bodies increase in size from T1 to T12 as the load they bear increases progressively downward. They are characterised by the costal facets on the posterolateral body and transverse process that articulate with the rib heads and tubercles respectively. The thoracic spine has the narrowest spinal canal relative to the spinal cord cross-section in the entire spine, making even moderate disc herniation or osteophyte formation in this region potentially myelopathic.
| Articulations |
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|---|---|
| Landmarks |
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| Ossification | As per other vertebral bodies, primary centres at 8 weeks fetal, ring apophyses fusing by age 25. |
Thoracic disc herniation is much less common than cervical or lumbar disc disease but more dangerous when it occurs because of the narrow canal and poor vascular supply to the thoracic cord. Thoracic disc herniation producing cord compression is a surgical emergency with a limited window for intervention before permanent myelopathic deficits become irreversible. Scheuermann disease is a growth disturbance of the thoracic vertebral endplates producing wedging of multiple vertebral bodies and increasing thoracic kyphosis in adolescents.
The most common osteoporotic fracture, producing kyphosis and height loss, often after minimal trauma.
Thoracic bodies are a common site of metastatic deposits, which can collapse and compress the spinal cord.
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