Apical ligament
The apical ligament is a small ligament that joins the apex (tip) of the dens of C2 to the anterior margin (basion) of the foramen magnum. It is the weak, fibrous remnant of the notochord and does not contribute significant stability.
The more posterior alar and cruciate ligaments are stronger and therefore far more clinically significant. Anterior is the anterior atlanto-occipital membrane.
Variant anatomy
It may be absent in up to 20% 2.
Related Radiopaedia articles
Anatomy: Spine
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osteology
- vertebrae
- spinal canal
- cervical spine
- thoracic spine
- lumbar spine
- sacrum
- coccyx
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anatomical variants
- vertebral body
- neural arch
- transitional vertebrae
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- ossification centers
- intervertebral disk
- articulations
- ligaments
- musculature of the vertebral column
- muscles of the neck
- muscles of the back
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suboccipital muscle group
- rectus capitis posterior major muscle
- rectus capitis posterior minor muscle
- obliquus capitis superior muscle
- obliquus capitis inferior muscle
- splenius capitis muscle
- splenius cervicis muscle
- erector spinae group
- transversospinalis group
- quadratus lumborum
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suboccipital muscle group
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spinal cord
- gross anatomy
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white matter tracts (white matter)
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dorsal columns
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- functional anatomy
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- sympathetic chain
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