Spine Flashcards
What travels in the transverse foramen of the C spine?
The vertebral artery and vein in C1-C6
The accessory artery ? in C7
What are the key features of C1?
No vertebral body
No spinous process
Wide, round vertebral foramen
What are the key features of C2?
Dens (odontoid process)
Wide spinous process
Where is the pars interarticularis?
Between the superior and inferior articular surfaces
What are the key features of C7?
Longest spinous process, NOT bifid
Small transverse foramen
What is a Jefferson’s fracture?
Fracture of anterior and posterior arches of atlas
What are the two types of C2 fracture?
Hangman’s fracture - fracture through both pars interarticularis
Peg fracture - fracture through the odontoid process of C2
Why is a hangman’s fracture a spondolythesis rather than spondolysis?
There is fracture + anterior displacement
