ANATOMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ARCUATE FORAMEN

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a study undertaken to investigate the morphological features of the arcuate foramen of the first cervical vertebra (atlas) in humans and their potential influence on the hemodynamics of the vertebral artery. The study was carried out on relevant material obtained from 54 human cadavers. 166 The longitudinal and transverse diameters of the arcuate foramen were measured with a digital caliper accurate to 0.01 mm, and the area of the foramina was calculated. The study demonstrated that the morphology of the arcuate foramen varied in 24% of the examined atlases: a unilateral arcuate foramen was observed in 5.5%, a unilateral bony spur in 13%, a bilateral arcuate foramen in 1.9%, and a bilateral bony spur in 3.4%. The mean area of the arcuate foramen was 1.7 times greater than the mean area of the transverse foramen. On the side bearing an arcuate foramen, the area of the transverse foramen was smaller than the mean transverse foramen area in atlases lacking an arcuate foramen. Thus, the arcuate foramen exhibits numerous morphological variations. It is encountered both unilaterally and bilaterally, in complete and incomplete forms.