Summary
The purpose of our study was to evaluate the individual variations of the foramen transver-sarium of the seventh cervical vertebra. This foramen sometimes has the same dimensions as the foramina of the other cervical vertebrae, but it can also be smaller, or absent. In cases where a foramen is present in the seventh cervical vertebra, vascular or nerve structures (or both) can be occasionally observed within. When the transverse foramina are found to contain none of the above structures, what then is to be found within this space? According to our results, the transverse foramina of the seventh cervical vertebra almost always contains vascular and nerve branches as well as fibrous and adipose tissues. This report concerns the results of the macroscopic and microscopic studies concerning the contents of the transverse foramina of the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae. The comparative study was completed at the Department of Anatomy of the Faculty of Medicine, University Laval.
Résumé
Dans cette étude, nous nous sommes intéressés aux variations individuelles du foramen transversaire de la septième vertèbre cervicale. Ce foramen peut être, soit du même calibre que celui des autres vertèbres cervicales, soit plus petit, soit absent. Lorsqu'il est présent, ce foramen est occasionnellement traversé par certaines structures vasculaires ou nerveuses ou les deux à la fois. Si les foramens ne contiennent aucune de ces structures, que trouve-t-on dans ces espaces? D'après nos résultats, on observe la présence presque constante de branches nerveuses, vasculaires et de tissu fibro-adipeux dans les foramens transversaires des septièmes vertèbres cervicales. Nous présentons ici les résultats de nos recherches macroscopiques et microscopiques concernant le contenu des foramens transversaires des septièmes vertèbres cervicales, recherches effectuées au Département d'anatomie de la Faculté de Médecine de l'Université Laval.
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Jovanovic, M. A comparative study of the foramen transversarium of the sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae. Surg Radiol Anat 12, 167–172 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01624518
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01624518