T6–T7 disc !
The T6-T7 disc is the thin cushion between the T6 and T7 vertebrae in the mid-back; it allows the small movement the ribs permit.
Official name: T6-T7
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What it is
The cushion between T6 and T7: a tough outer ring of fibres (annulus fibrosus) around a soft centre.
What it does
Absorbs load and allows the small amount of movement the rib cage permits.
Key facts
- Where
- Between T6 and T7 bodies; thin thoracic disc; head of rib 7 joins it
- Attaches
- Annulus fibrosus anchored to the endplates and ring apophyses of T6 and T7; anterior and posterior longitudinal ligaments
- Function
- Absorbs and spreads load; herniation rare, often central onto the cord; lateral herniation may irritate the T6 root
Relations
- In front
- Thoracic aorta to the left, esophagus in front, azygos vein to the right; the posterior intercostal arteries cross the middle of the bodies above and below, not the disc
- Lateral
- Head of rib 7 and its costovertebral joint, whose radiate ligament fans out onto the disc
- Behind
- Posterior longitudinal ligament and the spinal cord
How to find it
With the arms by the sides the inferior angle of the scapula lies at about T7; the T6–T7 disc is just above that height, roughly opposite the tip of the T6 spinous process.
On imaging
The mid-thoracic disc spaces show behind the heart on a lateral chest film. Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) appears here as flowing bone along the front of four or more bodies, mostly on the right (away from the aorta), with disc heights preserved.
Common problems
- Thoracic disc herniations are uncommon; many are found by chance on MRI and cause no symptoms.
- A large one can press on the spinal cord, or cause band-like pain around the chest.
How it is diagnosed
MRI; CT shows whether the herniation is calcified (hardened), which matters for surgery.
Treatment
- Usually physical therapy and pain medicine; surgery only if the spinal cord is pressed.
Clinical notes
- In a transthoracic or thoracoscopic approach the rib head is followed in to the disc and removed to expose the pedicle and the edge of the canal
- Band-like pain at one level is also caused by shingles before the rash appears, a classic mimic
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Where is pain from the T6 root at the T6–T7 disc felt, and what can it be mistaken for?
In the band at the xiphoid process (T6 dermatome), in the epigastrium, so it can be mistaken for ulcer or gallbladder disease.
Which infection is a classic mimic of band-like pain at one thoracic level, such as from the T6–T7 disc?
Shingles (herpes zoster) before the rash appears.
In a transthoracic approach to the T6–T7 disc, which structure is followed in to the disc?
The head of rib 7, which is removed to expose the pedicle and the edge of the canal.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- discus intervertebralis T6-T7 TA2 1684
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Disco T6-T7 DeCS D007403
- English (TA2)
- T6-T7
- Also called
- fibrous ring · fibrocartilago intervertebralis
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); DeCS; Anatomy, Back, Intervertebral Discs; 7.3 The Vertebral Column (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, CC BY 4.0.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
