Morphological study of anatomical variation of foramen transversarium in cervical vertebrae and its clinical implication

Abstract

Introduction: The Foramen Transversarium (FT) is a identification feature of cervical vertebrae which differentiate it from the other vertebrae. It is present in the the transverse process of vertebrae. Vertebral artery is pass through this foramen which important for blood supply for brain. Aim and Objective: To study the anatomical variation in foramen transversarium in cervical vertebrae very important for purpose of diagnostic and surgical important for Surgeon, Radiologist and Neurosurgeon. Material and Method: In our study, we included 175 dried cervical vertebrae from department of anatomy to detect double foramen FT present in transverse process in cervical vertebrae. Vertebrae with anatomical variation were photographed. Result: In our study, we found total 24 vertebrae having double FT out of 175 cervical vertebrae. Which include 12 vertebrae having bilateral double FT and 12 vertebrae having unilateral double FT. Conclusion: Knowledge of this type of anatomical variation in foramen transversarium is important for cervical approach during spine surgery to prevent injury of vascular structures. Keywords: Foramen Transversarium, Vertebral artery, Cervical vertebrae.