Costovertebral angle

The costovertebral angle (Latin: arcus costovertebralis) is the acute angle formed on either side of the human back between the twelfth rib and the vertebral column.^[1]

Costovertebral angle
View of the human skeleton from the back; the costovertebral angle is marked.
Details
Identifiers
Latin	arcus costovertebralis
Anatomical terminology [edit on Wikidata]

Transverse section, showing the relations of the capsule of the kidney.

The kidney lies directly below this area, so is the place where, with percussion (Latin: sucussio renalis), pain is elicited when the person has kidney inflammation. The presence of pain is marked as a positive Murphy's punch sign or as costovertebral angle tenderness.^[2]