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T10 (10th Thoracic Vertebra)

Last Updated: Jun 24, 2015

The T10 vertebra is near to the bottom of the twelve (12) thoracic vertebrae (T1-T12) within the torso and making up the central portion of the spinal column. As such, its ventral body (centrum) is larger than that of any superior vertebrae, while its vertebral foramen is smaller (and circular). The top and bottom surfaces of the centrum on the T10 are flat, making articulating joints with the subjacentmycontentbreak T11 and superjacent T9 vertebrae, with cartilaginous intervertebral cartilage between providing support and cushioning to the joints and the spine as a whole. Its articular facets with the ribs make a transition from the ventral body, as in the T1-9 vertebrae, to the pedicle so that the head of the rib articulates more closely with the vertebral arch than with the ventral body. At the T10 vertebra, the spinous process begins to become increasingly horizontal as the spinal column descends toward the lumbar vertebrae.