page_title: Vertebral column
section_title: Anatomical landmarks
hierarchical_section_title: Vertebral column / Clinical significance / Anatomical landmarks
caption_attribution_description: English: Surface projections of the major organs of the trunk, using the vertebral column and rib cage as main reference points of superficial anatomy. The transpyloric plane and McBurney's point are among the marked locations. To discuss image, please see Talk:Human body diagrams
context_page_description: The vertebral column, also known as the backbone or spine, is part of the axial skeleton. The vertebral column is the defining characteristic of a vertebrate in which the notochord found in all chordates has been replaced by a segmented series of bone: vertebrae separated by intervertebral discs. The vertebral column houses the spinal canal, a cavity that encloses and protects the spinal cord.
  There are about 50,000 species of animals that have a vertebral column. The human vertebral column is one of the most-studied examples.
context_section_description: Individual vertebrae of the human vertebral column can be felt and used as surface anatomy, with reference points are taken from the middle of the vertebral body. This provides anatomical landmarks that can be used to guide procedures such as a lumbar puncture and also as vertical reference points to describe the locations of other parts of human anatomy, such as the positions of organs.
caption: Surface projections of organs of the torso. The transpyloric line is seen at L1
exif: {}