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Surgical Anatomy of the Upper Cervical Spine and the Craniocervical Junction

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Cervical Spine Surgery: Standard and Advanced Techniques

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Abstract

The craniocervical junction consists of the occipital bone, the atlas, and the axis vertebras. Motion among these three bones is determined by the shape and orientation of their joint surfaces and guided by their ligaments. The medulla oblongata is found at the level of the clivus and the foramen magnum; the lower levels contain the spinal cord. This chapter focuses on the detailed bony anatomy of the occipital bone, the atlas, and the axis vertebras. The relevant ligamentous structures of the craniocervical junction, the cruciform ligament, the paired alar and accessory ligaments, the apical ligament, and the tectorial membrane are discussed. Finally a brief overview on the suboccipital muscles and nerves of this region is given.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Klinikum Esslingen, Esslingen am Neckar, Germany

    Gergely Bodon

  2. Clinical Anatomy Tübingen, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Bernhard Hirt

Authors
  1. Gergely Bodon
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  2. Bernhard Hirt
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurosurgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany

    Heiko Koller

  2. Department of Orthopaedics, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Yohan Robinson

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Bodon, G., Hirt, B. (2019). Surgical Anatomy of the Upper Cervical Spine and the Craniocervical Junction. In: Koller, H., Robinson, Y. (eds) Cervical Spine Surgery: Standard and Advanced Techniques. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93432-7_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93432-7_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-93431-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-93432-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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