CERVICAL VERTEBRAE-ATLAS (C1)

From NeuroRehab.wiki

SUMMARY

1. Lacks a centrum

2. The vertebral arch is modified to form thick lateral masses, short anterior arch & long posterior arch

3. Upper surface of the articular facet: kidney shaped & concave to articulate with occipital condyle

4. Lower surface of the articular facet: round & flat to articulate with the atlanto-axial joint

5. The articular facets are in line with uncovertebral joints of C3-7

6. C1 & C2 nerves send their anterior rami behind the joints
Atlas-grays-illustration-e343c75ad1817d356a16b18b6175b89b03d9b0ca.jpeg

Image: Case courtesy of Craig Hacking, Radiopaedia.org. From the case rID: 82884.


Reference(s)

R.M.H McMinn (1998). Last’s anatomy: regional and applied. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. Get it on Amazon.
Drake, Richard L., et al. Gray's Anatomy for Students. Elsevier, 2023. Get it on Amazon.