Vertebral anomalies

The vertebral column is affected by a range of anatomical variants of the body and/or neural arch as well as accessory ossicles. Knowledge of basic vertebral anatomy and ossification is essential for describing and understanding the range of anomalies.

Variant anatomy

Vertebral body

• hemivertebra

• block vertebra

• butterfly vertebra

• Cupid's bow contour ³

Neural arch

• arcuate foramen

• congenital anomalies of the posterior atlas arch

• transitional vertebrae

  • cervical rib

  • lumbar rib

  • lumbarization of S1

  • sacralization of L5

Spinous process

• unfused spinous process

• deviated spinous process

• bifid spinous process (when atypical for the level, e.g. C7)

Transverse process

• accessory transverse foramen ⁶

Accessory ossicles

• accessory ossicle of the anterior arch of the atlas

• Oppenheimer ossicle

• os odontoideum

• persistent ossiculum terminale

• sesamoid ossicles of the nuchal ligament

Associations

Vertebral anomalies can occur with numerous syndromic as well as non-syndromic conditions including:

• VATER anomaly / VACTERL association

• Aicardi syndrome

• cleidocranial dysostosis

• cloacal exstrophy

• Goldenhar syndrome

• Gorlin syndrome

• Jarcho-Levin syndrome

• Juberg-Hayward syndrome

• Klippel Feil syndrome

• OEIS complex