Expansion of the rib head: a novel computed tomographic feature of supernumerary intrathoracic ribs

Abstract

Intrathoracic ribs are very rare congenital anomalies. Approximately 50 cases have been reported in the literature till date. They are usually present on the right side, between the third and eighth ribs without sex predominance. They may originate from a vertebral body or the proximal or distal part of a rib. In most cases, they are asymptomatic, but they may be associated with developmental abnormalities of ribs and vertebrae. The diagnosis is important to prevent further investigation or intervention. Here we present two rare cases with supernumerary intrathoracic rib and describe a novel sign, namely expansion of the rib head. To the best of our knowledge, this is the shortest supernumerary intrathoracic rib, reported in the literature, on the left side originating from the head of the second rib, which could have been misdiagnosed as osteochondroma due to its atypical features.