Arcuate foramen

Case contributed by Patrick Nicholson
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Longstanding non-traumatic neck pain.

Patient Data

Age: 20 years
Gender: Male
x-ray

Incidental finding of arcuate foramen. 

Case Discussion

The arcuate foramen is a bony ridge on the atlas (C1 vertebral body) that covers the groove for the vertebral artery.  It is a common variant and is also known as:

  • panticulus posticus ("little bridge")
  • Kimmerle anomaly 
  • foramen sagittale
  • foramen atlantoideum
  • foramen retroarticulare 
  • superior canalis vertebralis
  • foramen arcuale atlantis

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