Skeletal system · Spine

T10 vertebra !

T10 is the tenth thoracic (mid-back) vertebra; it has joints for the ribs and helps form the cage that protects the heart and lungs.

Official name: T10

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What it is

The T10 mid-back vertebra, with joints on each side for the ribs.

What it does

Holds up the trunk and, with the ribs and breastbone, forms the rib cage, which protects the heart and lungs. The ribs make this part of the spine stiff.

Key facts

Joints with

T9 above and T11 below (discs, facet joints); head of rib 10 (single facet; varies: demifacet shared with T9); tubercle of rib 10

Landmarks

Single full costal facet for rib 10; transverse costal facet usually present (may be absent); esophageal hiatus at T10 level

Relations

In front

Esophagus passing through the diaphragm with the anterior and posterior vagal trunks; the aorta lies behind and to the left, still above the diaphragm

Lateral

Head and tubercle of the tenth rib, the last rib with a costotransverse joint

Behind

Latissimus dorsi and the thoracolumbar fascia start to cover the erector spinae

Contents

Spinal cord with the lumbar enlargement

How to find it

No direct landmark: counted up from T12 at the last rib or down from T7 at the inferior scapular angle. In quiet breathing the lower border of the lungs reaches about T10 behind, and the pleura about T12.

Examination

• Beevor sign: lying supine and lifting the head, the umbilicus moves upward when the lower rectus abdominis is weak, pointing to a lesion around T10

On imaging

Lateral and AP radiographs; T10 is identified by its rib, counting from T1 or up from the twelfth rib. It sits just above the thoracolumbar junction, where most fractures after falls occur, so CT is used after major trauma. MRI shows the cord, which here lies a few segments above the conus. On axial CT the oesophageal hiatus is seen at about this level.

Common problems

• Compression fractures from osteoporosis, sometimes after a minor fall or even a cough.
• A rounded upper back (kyphosis) from posture, wedge fractures or Scheuermann disease in teens.
• Scoliosis: a sideways curve with rotation, often starting in adolescence.

How it is diagnosed

X-rays for fractures and curves (scoliosis is measured with the Cobb angle). MRI tells new fractures from old ones. A bone density scan (DEXA) checks for osteoporosis.

Treatment

• Osteoporosis fractures: pain control, a short time in a brace, and treatment of the osteoporosis.
• Painful fractures that do not settle: kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty (cement injected into the bone).
• Large or progressive curves: bracing in growing children, sometimes fusion surgery.

Clinical notes

• A lesion at the T10 level gives a sensory level at the umbilicus and leg weakness
• Hiatal hernia and reflux relate to this level; the sliding type moves the junction of esophagus and stomach up through the hiatus
• Testis and ovary pain fibres enter the cord at about T10–T11, so torsion of a testis or ovary can first be felt around the umbilicus or in the lower abdomen rather than in the organ itself

Memory aid

T10 is at the belly 'bu-T-TEN' (umbilicus).

Related conditions

• HTLV-1-associated myelopathy / tropical spastic paraparesis

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Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.

Its names

Official Latin (TA2)

vertebra thoracica X TA2 1059

Official Spanish (DeCS)

Vértebra dorsal D10 DeCS D013904

English (TA2)

T10

Related

• T9–T10 disc
• T10–T11 disc
• Posterior intercostal arteries
• Anterior longitudinal ligament
• Rib-to-spine ligaments
• Endplates
• Mid-back facet joints
• Interspinous ligaments

Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); DeCS; Anatomy, Back, Thoracic Vertebrae.

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.