Transitional vertebra
Citation, DOI, disclosures and article data
At the time the article was created Frank Gaillard had no recorded disclosures.
View Frank Gaillard's current disclosuresAt the time the article was last revised Henry Knipe had the following disclosures:
- Integral Diagnostics, Shareholder (ongoing)
- Micro-X Ltd, Shareholder (ongoing)
These were assessed during peer review and were determined to not be relevant to the changes that were made.
View Henry Knipe's current disclosures- Transitional vertebral body
- Transitional vertebrae
A transitional vertebra is one that has indeterminate characteristics and features of vertebrae from adjacent vertebral segments. They occur at the junction between spinal morphological segments:
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atlanto-occipital junction
atlanto-occipital assimilation: complete or partial fusion of C1 and the occiput
occipital vertebra: an additional bone between C1 and the occiput
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cervicothoracic junction
cervical rib arising from C7
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thoracolumbar junction
lumbar (13th) rib arising from T13 or L1 (depending on numbering)
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lumbosacral junction
lumbosacral transitional vertebra: most common
Their importance stems both because the altered anatomy can be symptomatic (e.g. cervical rib causing thoracic outlet syndrome) or because they can lead to confusion when describing findings and thus lead to an incorrect level operation.
References
- 1. Carrino JA, Campbell PD, Lin DC et-al. Effect of Spinal Segment Variants on Numbering Vertebral Levels at Lumbar MR Imaging. Radiology. 2011;259 (1): 196-202. doi:10.1148/radiol.11081511 - Pubmed citation
- 2. Ryan S, McNicholas M, Eustace S. Anatomy for Diagnostic Imaging 2e. Saunders Ltd. (2004) ISBN:0702026204. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
- 3. Smoker WR. Craniovertebral junction: normal anatomy, craniometry, and congenital anomalies. Radiographics. 1994;14 (2): 255-77. Radiographics (abstract) - Pubmed citation
- 4. Weyreuther M, Heyde CE, Westphal M et-al. MRI Atlas: Orthopedics and Neurosurgery, The Spine. Springer. ISBN:3540335331. Read it at Google Books - Find it at Amazon
Incoming Links
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- Lumbosacral transitional vertebra - type IIb
- Fused lumbar vertebrae
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Related 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
- ossicles
- ossification centres
- intervertebral disc
- 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
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- transversospinalis group
- quadratus lumborum muscle
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suboccipital muscle group
- spinal meninges and spaces
-
spinal cord
- gross anatomy
-
white matter tracts (white matter)
- corticospinal tract
- anterolateral columns
- lateral columns
-
dorsal columns
- fasiculus gracilis (column of Goll)
- fasiculus cuneatus (column of Burdach)
- grey matter
- nerve root
- central canal
- functional anatomy
- spinal cord blood supply
- sympathetic chain
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