DEVELOPMENT OF THE

VERTEBRA
 4TH WEEK: MESENCHYMAL MODEL OF THE
VERTEBRA IS FORMED.
 6TH WEEK : CARTILAGENOUS MODEL OF
VERTEBRA BEGINS TO FORM
 8TH WEEK OF DEVELOPMNT: OSSIFICATION
 BEGINS AND IS COMPLETED BY THE 25TH
YEAR OF POST NATAL LIFE:
 (3rd week)
Three germ layers are formed.
Mesoderm differentiates into
parxial, intermediate and lateral
mesoderm
Paraxial mesoderm is a thick
longitudinal column of mesoderm
on either side of the notochord.
Paraxial mesoderm undergoes
compaction forming paired
cuboidal bodies on each side of
the notochord called somites.
4 occipital
8 cervical
12 thoracic
5 lumbar
5 sasral
5-7 coccygeal
 SOMITES: Towards the
end of third week each
somite has two parts:
 Sclerotome:
ventromedial part….vertebrae and
ribs.
 Dermamyotome:
dorsolateral part…….dermis and
myoblasts.
 An intrasegnental fissures
appears in each somite dividing it
into loosely packed cells cranially
and densely packed cells
caudally. The boundary between
the two is filled with intracellular
matrix and few cells.
 In the 4th week the cells of the
sclerotome migrate and surround
the developing neural tube and
the notochord to form the
vertebra.
 Sclerotome around the notochord
forms the vertebral body.
 Sclerotome around the neural
tube forms the neural arch
 Each vertebra develops from the
combination of the caudal half of
one bilateral pair of sclerotome
with the cranial half of the next
pair of sclerotome.
 The fusion around the notochord
forms the blastemal centrum of
the vertebra.
 The mesenchyme in the
intrasegnental fissure proliferates
to form the perichordal disc the
future annulus fibrosus.
 Occipital Somite 1-4 fuse to form
basioccipout.
 Caudal half of occipital somite 4
fuses with the cranial half of the
cervical somite 1 to form the
centrum of the first cervical
vertebra.
 Sclerotome around the
notochord forms the vertebral
body.
 Sclerotome around the neural
tube forms the neural arch
 The junction of the neural arch
and the centrum forms the
pedicles.
 At the confluence of the laminae
of the neural arches arises the
spinous process.
 Three processes arise on each
side from the junction of the
laminae and the pedicles. The
cranial and the caudal processes
are articular processes and the
lateral process is the transverse
process.
 Another lateral process arises on
each side from the junction of
the centrum and the pedicle, the
costal process.

 .
Cartilaginous stage:
6th week
 Chondrification
centers appear in
the centrum,
laminae and the
costal processes.
 Bony stage:
8th week to 25 years
 Two ossification centers, appear in the
centrum which fuse to form one center.
 Three primary ossification centers are
usually present by the end of the
embryonic period. one in the centrum and
two in the vertebral arches.
 At birth vertebrae consist of three bony
parts connected by cartilage.
 Vertebral arches articulate with the
vertebral body by neurocentral joints
allowing growth of arches. Fusion occurs
at 3-6 yeas of life.
 After puberty five secondary ossification
centers appear in the vertebrae
1. One for tip of spinous process
2. One for tip of each transverse process.
3. Two annular epiphysis, superior and
inferior rim of vertebral body
 DEVELOPMENT OF RIBS
 Ribs develop from mesenchymal costal processes of thoracic vertebrae. Rarely they may
develop from the costal process of the 7th cervical vertebra or the 1st lumbar vertebra forming
accessory ribs.
 The costal processes grow ventrolaterally between the myotomes forming the mesenchymal
models of the ribs.
 The transverse processes grow laterally behind the vertebral ends of the costal processes .
The mesenchyme between the two forms the costo-transverse joints and ligaments. The
mesenchyme between the Centrum and the costal processes forms the capitular costo-
transverse joints.
 1- 7 ribs curve around the body wall to reach the sternum. 8-10 ribs are shorter and
more oblique reacheing the cosatal cartilage of the rib above forming the costal
margin. 11th and 12th ribs are floating ribs.
 Chondrification occurs in the embryonic period
 Ossification begins in the fetal period.
 STERNUM
 Somatopleuric mesenchyme immediately ventral to the developing ribs and
the clavicles forms bilateral mesencymal condensations called sternal
plates.
 Chondrification occurs in these bars.
 With the development of ribs these bars move medially and fuse
craniocaudally
 Manubrium and four sternebrae which form sternal body.
 Xiphoid process develops as a caudal extension of the sternal body.
 Ossification begins in the fetal period except in the xiphoid process–
during child hood (3rd year). Ossification process in the sternum is
complete by 25 years.
 Ossification centers (1-3) appear in the manubrium during the 5 th fetal
month.
 Single ossification center appears in the 1st and 2nd sternebrae in the 5th
and 6th month respectively. Two ossification centers appear in the 3rd and
4th sternebrae in the 5th and 6th month respectively.
DEVELOPMENT OF SKULL
AND LIMBS
 SKULL

 NEUROCRANIUM: Casing around the brain and organs of

special senses

 VISCEROCRANIUM: Bones of lower face, jaws, palate,

hyoid bone, epiglottis and larynx.
(develop from the pharyngeal arches)
 Skull develops from the mesenchyme that
surrounds the cerebral vesicles. Begins to
form by the end of the 1st month.
 Part of the skull develops by
intramembranous ossification and part of it
by intracartilagenous ossification.
 NEUROCRANIUM:
SOURCE: Neural crest cells and paraxial
mesenchyme
MODE OF DEVELOPMENT:
1. Intramembranous ossification
2. Intracartilagenous ossification
INTRAMEMBRANOUS OSSIFICATION:
Bones of the cranial vault including
frontal, parietal, squamous parts of
temporal and occipital (above the
highest nuchal lines) bones.
1. Mesenchymal condensation : By the
end of the fourth week
2. Ossification: Second month in the
form of bony spicules.
Sutures: areas where two bones meet.
Fontanelle: Areas where several sutures
meet
Six Fontanelle: anterior, posterior,
anteriolateral, posteriolateral
Alteration in shape of bones at the time of
birth
 INTRACARTILAGINOUS
OSSIFICATION: Bones of
the base of skull, occipital
(basiocciput), sphenoid (body
of sphenoid), ethmoid bone
 Body of ethmoid: trabeculae
cranii
 Lesser wing of sphenoid: ala
orbitalis
 Body of sphenoid:
Hypophyseal cartilage
around pituitary gland
 Basiocciput: parachordal
cartilage
 (around cranial end
of notochord) + occipital
sclerotomes
 Petrous and mastoid parts of
temporal bone: otic capsule
around the developing otic
vesicale and internal ear