Rib
One of the 12 paired arches of bone that form the skeletal structure of the chest wall (the rib cage). The ribs attach to the vertebrae of the spine in the back. The 12 pairs of ribs consist of 7 pairs of ribs that attach to the sternum in the front and are known as true, or sternal, ribs; and 5 pairs of lower ribs that do not connect directly to the sternum and are known as false ribs. The upper 3 false ribs connect to the costal cartilages of the ribs just above them. The last 2 false ribs usually have no anchor in front and are known as floating, fluctuating, or vertebral ribs.
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- Rib cage
The structure formed by the thoracic vertebrae and ribs, the sternum (breastbone), and the costal cartilages (that attach the ribs to the sternum). A cage is an enclosure made of “open work” that usually houses animals. The rib cage was thought to resemble an animal cage (although the largest “animals” it holds are the heart […]
- Rib, cervical
An extra rib that arises from the seventh cervical vertebra. It is located above the normal first rib. A cervical rib is present in only about 1 in 200 people. It may cause pinching of nearby nerves or arteries, in which case it sometimes is removed surgically.
- Rib, floating
The lower five ribs do not directly connect to the sternum and are known as false ribs. The upper three false ribs connect to the costal cartilages of the ribs just above them. The last two false ribs, however, usually have no ventral attachment (no anchor at all in front) and are called floating, fluctuating […]
- Rib, fluctuating
The lower five ribs do not directly connect to the sternum and are known as false ribs. The upper three false ribs connect to the costal cartilages of the ribs just above them. The last two false ribs, however, usually have no ventral attachment (no anchor at all in front) and are called fluctuating, floating, […]
- Rib, sternal
The lower five ribs do not directly connect to the sternum and are known as false ribs. The upper three false ribs connect to the costal cartilages of the ribs just above them. The last two false ribs, however, usually have no ventral attachment (no anchor at all in front) and are called floating, fluctuating […]