Limbus Vertebra

LS spine x-ray, sagittal-reformatted CT and sagittal T1W MR images demonstrate a limbus vertebra in the anterosuperior corner of L4 vertebral body in this 32-year-old woman.

Facts

• Intrabody herniation of disc material at the margin of the endplate, occurs during spinal growth before skeletal maturity
• Herniation of nuclear material through the cartilaginous junction zone of ring apophysis may isolate this ossification center from the body margin, inhibiting osseous fusion to the vertebral body
• Up to 5% of cadavers
• Generally asymptomatic

Imaging

• Smoothly corticated triangular fragment of bone at the corner of the vertebral body
• Most common in midlumbar spine (L2-4) but can be at any level including cervical spine
• Most common at the anterosuperior corner of the vertebral body
• Typically displaced farther from margin of vertebral body

References:

Ghelman B, Freiberger RH. The limbus vertebra: an anterior disc hernation demonstrated by discography. AJR 1976; 127:854-855