Osteology and Radiolology of the Cervical Spine

Question 1

How many cervical vertebrae are there?

Answer 1

7

Question 2

What is the name of the first and second cervical vertebrae?

Answer 2

First - Atlas

Second - Axis

Question 3

How many nerve routes are there in cervical spine?

And why?

Answer 3

8

Because the first one starts on top and then the rest come from beneath each vertebrae

Question 4

What are the atypical cervical vertebrae?

Answer 4

C1, C2 and C7

Question 5

What differentiates a cervical vertebrae from others?

Answer 5

Smaller body
Larger spinal foramen
Overall smaller
Bean shaped
They have extra foramen for vertebral artery
Spinous process is bifid (except C7)

Question 6

How is C1 atypical?

Answer 6

It has no body (only vertebrae in the body without a body)
No spinous process
Larger articulating facet joints on the superior surface - articulates with the skull

Question 7

How is C2 atypical?

Answer 7

It has an odontoid peg. Also known as the dens, it uses to anchor C1 and allow free movement of C1, the dens is the body of C1

Question 8

How is C7 atypical

Answer 8

Prominent spinous process, not bifid

Large transverse process

Question 9

Name two common cervical spine fractures.

Answer 9

Burst # (Jefferson)

• The C1 “bursts”
• E.g. Head first fall from height

Hangman’s #
- Hyperextension of the head on neck