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Anatomical Variants of the Cervical Vertebrae and the First Thoracic Vertebra in Man

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Anatomical Variants of the Cervical Vertebrae and the First Thoracic Vertebra in Man Folia Morphol. Vol. 62, No. 4, pp. 357–363 Copyright © 2003 Via Medica O R I G I N A L ARTICLE ISSN 0015–5659 www.fm.viamedica.pl Anatomical variants of the cervical vertebrae and the first thoracic vertebra in man Jarosław Wysocki1, 2, Mariusz Bubrowski2, Jerzy Reymond3, Jan Kwiatkowski4 1Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, Warszawa, Poland 2Department of Normal Anatomy, Centre of Biostructure, Medical University, Warszawa, Poland 3Head of Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, Regional Specialist Hospital, Radom, Poland 4Head of Department of Ophtalmology, Regional Specialist Hospital, Radom, Poland [Received 1 July 2003; Revised 25 August 2003; Accepted 25 August 2003] Anatomical variants of the cervical part of the human spine were investigated. Morphological variants were studied on 100 cervical vertebrae (37 female and 63 male). The greatest variability was demonstrated by the first cervical vertebra or atlas. The presence of some accessory bony arches embracing the vertebral artery was observed, namely the posterior bridge restraining the arcuate fora- men (13.8%) and the lateral bridge restraining the transversovertical foramen (2%). Split posterior (3%) or anterior (1%) arches of the atlas were also encoun- tered in this material. The superior articular face of the atlas divided into two parts was found in 47.8%. Variants of the remaining cervical vertebrae were limited only to the presence of a division of the transverse process foramina or their incomplete closure. Some of these anatomical variants may be a cause of certain clinical symptoms which have previously been described in the literature. key words: cervical vertebrae, anatomy, variants, human INTRODUCTION most delicate [1]. The first cervical vertebra, the at- The vertebral column is a part of the axial skele- las, differs in structure from all the other cervical ton of man which has to perform particular tasks. vertebrae and is also the most variable vertebra in Firstly it forms a stable support for the head, provid- man [1]. The variability of the atlas and axis and oth- ing it with significant mobility, which ensures ac- er cervical vertebrae is passed over in most basic cess to the indispensable stimuli for the senses of anatomy and clinical textbooks. There is scant infor- sight, hearing and balance. The secondary, cervical mation concerning these issues embedded in a few part of the vertebral canal contains a cervical seg- publications in the available literature. Some ana- ment of the spinal cord which forms here the cervi- tomical variants of the atlas, especially the bony cal callosity. In addition, the cervical skeleton is also bridges embracing the vertebral artery, may be of a bony framework for the vertebral arteries in their great clinical importance and probably cause verti- course from the aortic arch to the cranial fossa. As go and neurological disturbances. The aim of this a result of the large number of tasks performed by study was to investigate the variability of the mor- this part of skeleton, any disorder affecting it may phology of the cervical vertebrae and the first tho- lead to significant lowering the quality of life [1, 13]. racic vertebra. Knowledge of this variability is im- The vertebrae of the cervical part of the vertebral portant for physicians such as: otolaryngologists, column demonstrate the greatest variability. These neurologists and orthopaedists, who in everyday are among the true vertebrae, the smallest and the practice are in contact with disorders of the spine Address for correspondence: Jarosław Wysocki, MD, PhD, DSci, Department of Normal Anatomy, Centre of Biostructure, Medical University, ul. Chałubińskiego 5, 02–004 Warszawa, Poland, e-mail: [email protected] 357 Folia Morphol., 2003, Vol. 62, No. 4 and their consequences [1, 5, 13]. In addition, tion variants involving the basic and qualitative fea- progress in radiology has enabled some fine struc- tures of the cervical vertebrae were determined and tures, so far unavailable for traditional image evalu- analysed. ation, to became visible in CT scans and these are of considerable clinical importance. RESULTS The results of the morphological observations of MATERIAL AND METHODS the material studied are presented in Table 1. Com- A hundred adult, human vertebral columns from plete observation of all the features under investi- the skeletal collection of the Department of Histori- gation was not possible on all the vertebrae owing cal Anthropology, Warsaw University, were the sub- to the considerable damage to some vertebrae, ject of this study. The skeletons represented the re- where, for example, only fragments are preserved, gion of Kielce and originated from the period of the there has been disintegration or important fragments XII and XIII centuries. During anatomical examina- have been broken off. In addition, not all the verte- Table 1. Non-metrical features of cervical vertebrae and the first thoratic vertebra The structure studied and its features Male Female Left Right Left Right Posterior bridge and vertical Vertebral artery groove 49 48 33 33 foramen and their variants Fully developed vertical foramen 9 9 4 4 (N = 58 M, 37 F) Posterior bridge perforated 1 1 0 1 Postglenoid process 19 20 11 11 Posterior process 1 1 1 1 Transversovertical foramen of C1 1 1 1 1 Dorsal foramen Dorsal impression 7 10 4 2 or impression of C1 Dorsal foramen 0 1 5 4 Variants of arches of C1 Deficit of posterior arch 0 3 Deficit of anterior arch 0 1 Posterior tubercle Lacking 12 15 Present Single 25 14 Divided 16 4 Transverse vertebral foramen of C1 (N = 55 M, 37 F) Closed 53 54 35 34 Opened 2 1 2 3 Accessory 0 1 0 0 Superior articular fossule of C1 (N = 54 M, 36 F) Single 48 50 34 33 Divided 6 4 2 3 Opened transversal vertebral foramen of C2 (N = 62 M, 33 F) 0 0 1 0 Divided transversal vertebral foramen of C3 (N = 50 M, 21 F) 2 2 0 0 Divided transversal vertebral foramen of C4 (N = 51 M, 23 F) 6 9 0 1 Divided transversal vertebral foramen of C5 (N = 60 M, 26 F) 14 11 7 4 Divided transversal vertebral foramen of C6 (N = 60 M, 31 F) 28 32 12 11 Transversal vertebral foramen of C7 (N = 62 M, 30 F) Divided 10 (+1 triple) 7 6 4 Lacking 0 1 0 0 Present transversal vertebral foramen of Th1 (N = 62 M, 29 F) 0 1 0 0 358 Jarosław Wysocki et al., Anatomical variants of cervical vertebrae... bral columns studied contained all seven cervical men of the atlas, was found in 4 specimens (1.7% vertebrae. This fact has been noted each time in Ta- for the male vertebrae and 2.7% for the female ones). ble 1 as a number of observations. Both bridges were full and the foramina closed. Cases of incomplete lateral bridges, and consequently split Variants and structural defects of the atlas transversovertical foramina, were not observed. Pro- vertebra cesses, more rarely bony bridges located on the lat- In the material studied there was considerable eral surface in the anterior segment of the posterior variability in the morphological variants of the atlas. arch, limited the so-called dorsal impressions or fo- Variability concerning the same structures, connect- ramina. The area of the posterior arch between these ed in related groups, was observed and jointly de- processes was distinctly depressed, forming a groove scribed. The occurrence of accessory bony process- (Fig. 2). This situation was observed in 17 (14.6%) of es, arising from the posterior arch, lateral masses or the male specimens and in 7 (9.4%) of the female transverse process, were observed in a considerable specimens. In cases where the aforementioned bony number of the vertebrae. In some cases full bony protrusions were joined, a foramen was formed, bridges were formed across the particular morpho- which was observed on one side on one male verte- logical structures of the atlas. The postglenoid pro- bra (0.9%) and one-sided or bilateral on 9 specimens cess (observed in a total of 31.4% of the specimens) (12.2%). The transverse process of the atlas had its was an element rising from and behind the superior transverse foramen in each specimen studied. On articulate fossa, suspended over the groove of the 3 male vertebrae (2.7%) and 5 female vertebrae (6.7%) vertebral artery (Fig. 1). This structure was formed, an anteriorly split foramen of the transverse process to varying degrees, from a small bony process up to was found. This phenomenon was invariably an ef- an almost full bony bridge (the posterior bridge). fect of reduction of the anterior lamina of the trans- The postglenoid process could be accompanied by verse process and never of the posterior lamina. In the posterior process, occurring on the posterior arch one case, on a male vertebra, on the right side, of atlas (4 cases in the material examined). The full a kind of accessory foramen of the transverse process posterior bridge with the closed arcuate foramen was observed. However, this did not lie in the hori- situated beneath it occurred one-sided or bilaterally zontal plane, as happens with the foramen proper, (15.7% for males and 10.8% for females, together but in the frontal plane, penetrating the anterior lam- amounting to 13.8%). The lateral bridge is a bony ina of the transverse process (Fig. 2). This variant trabecula directed upwards and laterally and runs has not as yet been described in the available litera- from the lateral mass of the atlas towards the pos- ture. Variants of the anterior and posterior arch of terior lamina of its transverse process. The lateral bridge, and limited by it the transversovertical fora- Figure 2.
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