Anatomy of the Cervical Vertebrae
Articular pillar (lateral mass)
A short column of bone between the superior and inferior articular processes that is more supportive than the similar area in the rest of the spinal column
Anterior tubercle
A small protuberance on the anterior arch of C1
Atlas
Another name for C1
Axis
Another name for C2
Cervical (superior and Inferior) articular process
Are located behind the transverse process at the junction of the pedicle and lamina and directly lateral to the vertebral foramen over and under the articular pillars
C1
Cervical vertebra that least resembles a typical vertebra because it has no body but simply a thick arch of bone
C3 - C6
Cervical vertebrae that are considered the typical cervical vertebrae
C1 and C2
Cervical vertebrae that are unusual and are described separately from the rest of the cervical vertebrae
Size
Characteristic of cervical vertebrae and their bodies that will increase with progression down to the seventh cervical vertebra
Posteriorly
Direction in which the spinous process of C2 extends with its bifid tip
Transverse atlantal ligament
Holds the dens of C2 in place on C1. C
Posterior tubercle
Is typically found on the outside of the posterior arch
Occipitoatlantal joints
Joints formed between the right and left occipital condyles of the skull and the superior facets of C1
Inferior to the lamina
Location of the inferior articular processes of C2
Below and lateral to the superior articular process
Location of the transverse processes and the transverse foramina of C2
At right angles
Location of the zygapophyseal joints of the cervical vertebrae 2-7 from the midsagittal plane
45 degrees to the midsagittal plane and 15 degrees inferior
Locations of the intervertebral foramina of the cervical foramen
Three
Number of foramina that run vertically through each of the cervical vertebrae, two transverse foramina and a single vertebral foramen
Between C1 and C2
Place where rotation of the head primarily occurs with the dens acting as a pivot
Pedicle and body
Places from which the smaller transverse processes of the cervical vertebrae arise
LPO
Position in which the right intervertebral foramina are best seen. On posterior obliques the side up is of interest.
Lateral
Position/ projection in which the zygapophyseal joints of the cervical spine are best visualized
Superior articular processes
Right and left sides of C1 that present large depressed surfaces called superior facets
Posterior arch
Structure of C1 that takes the place of the two laminae and the spinous process found in typical vertebrae
Bifid tip
Structure on the end of the short spinous process of a typical cervical vertebrae
Lateral masses
Structures of C1 that are the articular pillars, the segments if bone between the superior and inferior articular processes. They support the weight of the head and assist in rotation of the head so they are the most bulky and solid parts of C1
Intervertebral foramina
Structures of cervical vertebrae that can be identified by the pedicle which form their superior and inferior boundaries
Vertebral artery and veins and certain nerves
Structures that pass through the transverse foramina of the cervical vertebrae
Small and oblong with the anterior edge slightly more inferior
The appearance of a typical cervical vertebral body which causes slight overlapping of the vertebral bodies
Atlantoaxial joints
The articulations between C1 and C2 that are symmetric
Transverse foramen
The hole in the transverse processes on each side of a typical cervical vertebra
Superior facet
The large depressed surface on the superior articular processes of C1 that articulates with the left and right occipital condyles of the skull
Dens (odontoid process)
The most distinctive feature of C2 that is a conical process which projects from the superior surface of the body of C2
Perfectly symmetric
The necessary appearance of the relationship between the dens and C1 for their to be an assumption of no injury
Vertebra prominens
The seventh cervical vertebra that has many features if thoracic vertebrae, including an extra long and more horizontal spinous process that can be palpated at the base of the neck
Smaller
The size of the transverse processes of C1 compared to the transverse processes of the other cervical vertebrae
Anterior arch
The thick arch of bone instead of the vertebral body on C1
Transverse foramina, bifid spinous tips, and overlapping vertebral bodies
The unique characteristics of the cervical vertebrae
Cervical vertebrae
Vertebrae that show little resemblance to the lumbar or thoracic vertebrae, which are more typical in appearance