2019•European Journal of AnatomyRequires access
A case of cervical rib and neurovascular compression in Roman period
Mauro Rubini, Alessandro Gozzi, Nunzia Libianchi, M. Arancio, Paola Zaio
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Abstract
The possibility to study axial anomalies directly on a skeletal individual is not very frequent. One well preserved skeletal individual from an Italian site dating to the late antique period (5th -4th cen-turies CE) was studied. This individual shows some interesting skeletal changes in the vertebrae and ribs. A supernumerary rib was found. It is a cervical rib connected to the 1st thoracic rib, pre-sumably with a fibrous bundle. The presence of cervical ribs can produce neurovascular compres-sion of the brachial plexus and subclavian vessels. Because of this, it is often a cause of thoracic out-let syndrome (TOS). In our case the presence of a cervical rib articulated with the first thoracic rib through a probable fibrous band could have re-stricted the space where the brachial plexus and subclavian vessels pass through, creating a state of neurovascular compression, similar