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Eighth thoracic vertebra: anatomy, location and function

The eighth of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, labelled T8, which articulate with ribs. Supports the trunk, forms the posterior part of the rib cage by articulating with ribs, and protects the spinal cord.

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Highlighted in the model: Eighth thoracic vertebra. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Eighth thoracic vertebra at a glance

Also called
T8
What it is
The eighth of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, labelled T8, which articulate with ribs.
Location
Lies in the lower-middle thoracic spine between T7 and T9.
Function
Supports the trunk, forms the posterior part of the rib cage by articulating with ribs, and protects the spinal cord.
Body system
Skeletal · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA9991 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • The vena caval opening of the diaphragm lies at about the level of T8.
  • Typical thoracic vertebra: its body has demifacets for ribs 8 and 9 and its transverse process a facet for the tubercle of rib 8.

Structures next to the eighth thoracic vertebra

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Eighth thoracic vertebra (FMA9991). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §7.1 Divisions of the Skeletal System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.