An uncommon congenital anomaly of the ribs.

Intrathoracic rib is an extremely rare congenital anomaly of the ribs. Here, we present the case of a 10-year-old boy with asthma who, on routine evaluation, was found to have this anomaly.

THE CASE

A 10-year-old boy whilebeing evaluated for asthma had a chest radiograph done thatrevealed a linear opacity with a bifid appearance, similar to the ribs in the left upper zone andadjacent to the D2-D3 vertebrae (Figure 1, white arrow). Further evaluation with a computed tomography (CT) scan of the thorax confirmed it to be an intrathoracic rib. Figure 2 shows the three-dimensional volume rendering technology (VRT) image of the intrathoracic rib acquired in a 64-slice CT of the thorax. Intrathoracic rib is the rarest congenital anomaly of the ribs and is almost always an incidental radiological finding.[1] It is most commonly seen on the right side and is almost always asymptomatic. Knowledge about this anomaly is imperative to prevent unnecessary investigations.[2] Spiral CT appears to be the modality of choice to image this extremely rare anomaly. This case is being presented to highlight the value of modern imaging techniques in the evaluation of this rare congenital anomaly.

Figure 1

Chest x-ray posterior-anterior (PA) view showing the presence ofa linear opacity with a bifid appearance, similar to the ribs in the left upper zone and adjacent to the D2-D3 vertebrae

Figure 2

Three-dimensional VRT image of the intrathoracic rib acquired in a 64-slice CT of the thorax

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Conflicts of interest

There are no conflicts of interest.