Unusual occipital condyles of the skull: an osteological study with clinical implications

Das, Srijit; Suri, Rajesh Kumar; Kapur, Vijay

doi:10.1590/s1516-31802006000500009

Cited by 13 publications

(15 citation statements)

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“…Spontaneous occipito-atlantal fusion, and anomalies of the occipital condyles (20) can cause changes in the biomechanics of the craniovertebral junction. In odontoid fracture or C1-C2 instability associated with rheumatoid arthritis, the occipito-atlantal fusion moves as a single unit, leading to more displacement of the odontoid process and more instability of the craniovertebral junction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occipitalization of the atlas: its incidence and clinical implications

Khamanarong

Woraputtaporn

Ratanasuwan

et al. 2013

AMA

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Objective. The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of occipitalization of the atlas among Thai dried skulls, in order to contribute to baseline awareness of this condition. Materials and methods. The skulls of 633 adult Thais from the collection maintained in the Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Thailand, were examined for evidence of occipitalization of the atlas. The skulls were well-preserved and did not show any traits of craniofacial deformation. The skulls for which the age and sex were unknown were excluded from the analysis. From the cadaveric records on each individual, we learned that the skulls belonged to 373 men (age of decease between 25 and 90 years), and 260 women (age of decease between 28 and 92 years). Results. Occipitalization of the atlas was detected in 2 skulls (0.32%). The first case was a male skull (54 years of age at decease), where the atlas was partially fused to the occipital bone. The second case was also a male skull (59 years of age at decease) showing complete fusion of the anterior arch of the atlas. Conclusion. The incidence of occipitalization of the atlas is low; however, if present this abnormality may cause a wide range of neurological problems. Knowledge of occipitalization of the atlas may be of substantial importance to orthopedists, neurosurgeons, physiotherapists and radiologists dealing with abnormalities of the cervical spine. Mistaken diagnoses have led to delayed treatment and at times adverse results.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Occipitalization of the atlas: its incidence and clinical implications

Khamanarong

Woraputtaporn

Ratanasuwan

et al. 2013

AMA

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“…Conventional anatomy and surgery textbooks do not describe the anatomical variations in the OCs. Many such anomalies can be encountered incidentally [11].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphometric Study of Human Adult Occipital Condyle, Hypoglossal Canal and Foramen Magnum in Dry Skull of Modern Egyptians

Farid¹

2018

IJCDA

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The present study investigated analyze some morphometric data about occipital condyles (OCs), hypoglossal canals (HCs) and foramen magnum (FM) for safety transcondylar surgical approach, and to compare the Egyptian skull measurements with that of the other races. A total of 75 dry skulls of unknown sex which were randomly chosen from the archives were used with exclusion of the extremely deformed or damaged. The parameters were measured by digital Vernier calipers with 0.01 mm precision and a protractor. Statistical analysis of data -one way analysis of variance-was done using unpaired Student's t-test. Results indicated no statistical significant differences between the right and left sides of measured parameters. The morphometric analysis of the OC established that mean width & length was larger (14.8 & 22.9 mm) in Egyptian population when compared to other races. According to the parameters of the HCs, the mean length of right and left ones were 11.84 mm and 11.8 mm respectively, while their mean angles with the sagittal plane were found to be 31.8° and 31.6° respectively. The mean diameter of the intracranial end of the right HC was 6.24 mm and of the left one was 6.04 mm, on the other hand, the mean diameters of the extracranial ends were 6.18 mm and 6.04 mm respectively. Regarding the parameters of FM, the mean length and width were 35 mm and 29.4 mm respectively. On the other hand, the mean distance of right mastoid process to the nearest point of FM was 34.72 mm, while the left one located at a mean distance of 35.2 mm from FM. 40% of skulls studied exhibited an ovoid foramen magnum as the foramen magnum index was > 1.2 but 60% of our samples were ˂ 1.2 which were asymmetrical in shape. We conclude that careful radiological analysis of the craniocervical junction is required before surgery to prevent inadvertent complications such as hemorrhage, atlantooccipital instability and injury to major structures passing through foramen magnum. Our outcomes will be useful for safe surgery in craniocervical region in Egypt.

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“…Despite the fact that variations in shapes of the OC, as well as the measurements and incidence, have been reported in the previous clinical and anatomical studies, it has been observed during the dissection that the pattern of the OC in the CVJ was not as simple as it had been reported by many authors. [2345]…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anatomic study of the occipital condyle and its surgical implications in transcondylar approach

Kalthur

Padmashali

Gupta

et al. 2014

J Craniovert Jun Spine

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Background:Craniovertebral surgeries require the anatomical knowledge of craniovertebral junction. The human occipital condyle (OC) is unique bony structure connecting the cranium and the vertebral column. A lateral approach like transcondylar approach (TA) requires understanding of the relationships between the OC, jugular tubercle, and hypoglossal canal. Hence, the aim of the present study was to analyze the morphological variations in OCs of dry adult human skull.Materials and Methods:The study was carried out on 142 OC of 71 adult human dry skulls (55 males and 16 females). Morphometric parameters such as length, width, thickness, intercondylar distances, and the distances from the OC to the foramen magnum, hypoglossal canal and jugular foramen were measured. In addition, the different locations of the hypoglossal canal orifices in relation to the OC and different shapes of the OC were also noted.Results:The average length, width and height of the OC were found to be 2.2, 1.1 and 0.9 cm. The anterior and posterior intercondylar distances were 2.1 and 3.9 cm, respectively. Maximum and minimum bicondylar distances were 4.5 and 2.6 cm, respectively. The intra-cranial orifice of the hypoglossal canal was found to be present in middle 1/3rd in all skulls (100%), and extra-cranial orifice of the hypoglossal canal was found to be in anterior 1/3rd (98%) in relation to OC. The oval shaped OC (22.5%) was the most predominant type of OC observed in these skulls.Conclusion:Occipital condyle is likely to have variations with respect to shape, length, width and its orientation. Therefore, knowledge of the variations in OC along with careful radiological analysis may help in safe TAs during skull base surgery.

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Unusual occipital condyles of the skull: an osteological study with clinical implications

Cited by 13 publications

References 4 publications

Occipitalization of the atlas: its incidence and clinical implications

Occipitalization of the atlas: its incidence and clinical implications

Morphometric Study of Human Adult Occipital Condyle, Hypoglossal Canal and Foramen Magnum in Dry Skull of Modern Egyptians

Anatomic study of the occipital condyle and its surgical implications in transcondylar approach

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