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Median (third) occipital condyle
Author(s) -
Rao P.V.V. Prasada
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
clinical anatomy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.667
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1098-2353
pISSN - 0897-3806
DOI - 10.1002/ca.1111
Subject(s) - foramen magnum , occipital condyle , occipital bone , medicine , anatomy , skull , condyle , cervical vertebrae , hypoglossal nerve , foramen , pathology , tongue
Abnormalities of the craniovertebral junction, most of which are associated with the occipital bone, are of interest not only to anatomists but also to clinicians because many of these deformities produce clinical symptoms. The occipital bone in humans is formed by the fusion of the sclerotomes corresponding to the roots of the hypoglossal nerve. In lower vertebrates, the cranial half of the first cervical sclerotome forms a separate bone between the atlas and occipital bone, the proatlas; in man it may contribute to anomalous structures around the foramen magnum. One such structure, a median occipital condyle, which exhibited an articular facet for the odontoid process, was observed in an adult male skull at the anterior margin of the foramen magnum. This anomaly is discussed in light of available literature. Clin. Anat. 15:148–151, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.