A Variant Articular Facet on Left Second Rib

Abstract

ABSTRACT During routine scanning of bones in the Department of Anatomy, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Hospital, Jaipur, India, an unusual second rib belonging to left side was found having an oval facet, almost centrally placed along the inner border of the shaft. In the absence of the corresponding skeleton, it can be hypothesized that the left first rib or an extra rib articulated with the second rib at this facet. Such structural anomalies of ribs are quite rare and need to be documented. If present, they may lead to compression of neurovascular structures crossing the ribs leading to thoracic outlet syndrome. An incidence of 0.3% of synostosis of first and second ribs has been reported in the literature. Search of literature reveals that there are 22 known syndromes in which fused ribs are a constant component. Such a variant second rib as found in the present case could lead to neurovascular compression and a possible indicator of underlying systemic disorder. How to cite this article Mehra S. A Variant Articular Facet on Left Second Rib. J Mahatma Gandhi Univ Med Sci Tech 2017;2(1):29-30.