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Tenth thoracic vertebra: anatomy, location and function

The tenth of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, labelled T10, 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: Tenth 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.

Tenth thoracic vertebra at a glance

Also called
T10
What it is
The tenth of the twelve thoracic vertebrae, labelled T10, which articulate with ribs.
Location
Lies in the lower thoracic spine between T9 and T11.
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
FMA10037 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Has a single complete costal facet on the upper body for rib 10 only.
  • The oesophageal opening of the diaphragm lies at about T10.
  • Its transverse process may have a small facet for rib 10, or none.

Structures next to the tenth thoracic vertebra

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

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Tenth thoracic vertebra (FMA10037). 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.