title: Early development of the costovertebral joints.
abstract: Researches on the development of the vertebral column were focused mainly on the growth of lumbar and cervical regions. However, none of them were related to the development of costovertebral joints. To our knowledge, the relationship between ribs and thoracic vertebrae has never been addressed. The aims of the presented study are: (1) to trace the formation of processes of vertebral arches and articular surfaces of the vertebral bodies, and (2) to trace the development of the ribs, particularly their joint surfaces. Study subjects are staged human embryos (from the 5th week) from the collection of the Department of Anatomy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland. Serial sections were stained according to methods allowed for tracing the development of investigated structures. The primordia of costovertebral joints are interzones from which differentiate all structures of synovial joints such as joint surfaces, capsule and cavity. Based on the result of this study, these interzones appeared in the embryonic stages 17 and 18 with approximately 40 to 42 postfertilizational days, and the cavitation within the interzone was observed in some embryos from stage 19 with approximately postfertilizational 44 days.
authors: Department of Anatomy, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland. brian.poznan@gmail.com
authors: Po-Jung
authors: PJ
authors: Chen
authors: Witold
authors: W
authors: Wozniak
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D007596:Joints / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D012272:Ribs / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development*