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Fourth thoracic vertebra: anatomy, location and function

The fourth of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, labelled T4, 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: Fourth 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.

Fourth thoracic vertebra at a glance

Also called
T4
What it is
The fourth of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, labelled T4, which articulate with ribs.
Location
Lies in the upper thoracic spine between T3 and T5.
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
FMA9248 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • The sternal angle lies at the level of the T4-T5 intervertebral disc.
  • The aortic arch ends and the descending thoracic aorta begins at about the level of its lower border.

Structures next to the fourth thoracic vertebra

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

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Fourth thoracic vertebra (FMA9248). 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.