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Retrotransverse foramen of the atlas: prevalence and bony variations

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Abstract

Purpose

To analyze the prevalence of the retrotransverse foramen (RTF) and its bony variations.

Methods

One hundred ten atlases of living adult subjects, 161 twentieth century dry adult cervical atlases and four dry adult cervical atlases from medieval skeletons were studied to detect the RTF and its abnormal bony variations. The 110 living adult subjects underwent a computed tomography study to detect the RTF.

Results

In the in vivo sample (n = 110; 100%), the RTF was found in four (3.6%) atlases. It was bilateral in all cases, but three (2.7%) patients showed complete RTF and the other patient presented a complete RTF in the left transverse process and an unclosed RTF in the right transverse process. In addition, the RTF was observed in combination with an unclosed transverse foramen in two cases (1.8%). In the twentieth century skeletal sample (n = 206; 100%) the RTF was found in 15 (7.3%) C1 vertebrae. It was bilateral in three (1.5%) vertebrae and unilateral in another 12 (5.8%) vertebrae. In the medieval skeletal sample (n = 4; 100%) one cadaveric atlas (25%) presented a bilateral RTF with special bony characteristics which presented an unexpected spicula in the left RTF.

Conclusions

The RTF is a nonmetric variant of the atlas vertebra that can present non-degenerative and non-traumatic spiculae or it can be unclosed. In addition, it can be associated with the presence of unclosed transverse foramina.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Mr. Francesc Xavier Duarte Martinez and Mr. Luis Lozano Perez, heads of the archeological intervention at the Almudin Square in Segorbe, Mr. Vicente Palomar-Macian, head of the Museo Municipal de Arqueología y Etnología de Segorbe, and Mr. Alfred Sanchis and the staff of the Servicio de Investigación Prehistórica (SIP) del Museo de Prehistoria de Valencia for their technical assistance during the preparation of this manuscript. We also wish to thank the Dirección General De Cultura y Patrimonio de la Conselleria de Educación, Investigación, Cultura y Deporte de la Comunidad Valenciana.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy and Human Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Av. Blasco Ibanez 15, 46010, Valencia, Spain

    Juan A. Sanchis-Gimeno & Susanna Llido

  2. Department of Radiology, University Hospital de La Ribera, Carretera Corbera km 1, Alzira, 46600, Valencia, Spain

    Esther Blanco-Perez

  3. University San Vicente Martir, C/Espartero 7, 46007, Valencia, Spain

    Marcelino Perez-Bermejo

  4. Department of Human Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Shahed Nalla

Authors
  1. Juan A. Sanchis-Gimeno
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  2. Esther Blanco-Perez
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  3. Marcelino Perez-Bermejo
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  4. Susanna Llido
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  5. Shahed Nalla
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Juan A. Sanchis-Gimeno.

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The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

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Sanchis-Gimeno, J.A., Blanco-Perez, E., Perez-Bermejo, M. et al. Retrotransverse foramen of the atlas: prevalence and bony variations. Eur Spine J 27, 1272–1277 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-017-5372-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-017-5372-4

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