Cervical rib on X-ray: 7 real cases

Real, openly licensed radiographs showing cervical rib. Study what to look for, then open each case and read it yourself before revealing the answer.

What to look for

  • An extra rib arising from the seventh cervical vertebra.
  • C7 transverse processes normally point downwards; T1 transverse processes point upwards — use this to count levels.
  • Often an incidental finding; may be associated with thoracic outlet syndrome.

Learn: Normal chest X-ray anatomy

Quiz yourself on chest images

Cases

Radiograph from the case bank: Cervical ribCase #49213081Chest · IntermediateRadiograph from the case bank: Cervical ribCase #50285541Chest · IntermediateRadiograph from the case bank: Cervical ribCase #146387329Chest · IntermediateRadiograph from the case bank: Cervical ribCase #36384015Chest · IntermediateRadiograph from the case bank: Cervical ribCase #36458423Chest · IntermediateRadiograph from the case bank: Cervical ribCase #36458565Chest · IntermediateRadiograph from the case bank: Cervical ribCase #45345588Chest · Intermediate

Other chest diagnoses

Diagnoses come from each image's documented source. Credits and licences are shown on each case and on the image credits page.