Morphometric Study of Foramen Transversarium in Typical Cervical Vertebrae and Its Clinical Significance

Background: All cervical vertebrae have the property of having the foramen transversarium in the transverse process. It transmits the sympathetic plexus, the vertebral vein, and the vertebral artery (except at C7). The neurovascular structures that pass through the foramen transversarium may be impacted by variations in its size, number, and morphology. This could result in clinical conditions like vertebrobasilar insufficiency, which manifests as headache, migraine, vertigo, fainting attacks, and labyrinthine disorders. The objective is to examine the morphometry of the foramen transversarium in normal cervical vertebrae and evaluate its possible therapeutic uses. Material and Methods: Thirty dry, typical cervical vertebrae from the Department of Anatomy at the Government Medical College in Jammu were used in this investigation. The anteroposterior and transverse diameters of the foramen transversarium on both sides were measured using a digital vernier caliper. It was also observed that the auxiliary foramen transversarium was common. IBM SPSS Statistics version 26 and Microsoft Excel were used for statistical analysis. The independent t-test was used to compare the two groups, which were reported as means and standard deviations. Statistical significance was defined as a p-value < 0.05. Results: The right foramen transversarium's transverse width ranged from 1.30 to 3.60 mm, with a mean of 2.48 ± 0.57 mm, while its anteroposterior diameter ranged from 0.60 to 3.00 mm, with a mean of 2.40 ± 0.51 mm. On the left side, the anteroposterior diameter varied from 1.50 mm to 3.50 mm with a mean of 2.46 ± 0.51 mm, while the transverse diameter varied from 1.30 mm to 3.70 mm with a mean of 2.48 ± 0.51 mm. The right and left sides did not vary statistically significantly (p > 0.05). One vertebra on the right side had a double foramen transversarium, whereas there were none on the left. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that typical cervical vertebrae do not show significant morphological variation in the dimensions of the foramen transversarium. However, the presence of an accessory foramen transversarium, although rare, may have important clinical implications during surgical and radiological procedures involving the cervical spine.

Keywords: Foramen transversarium, cervical vertebrae, morphometry, vertebral artery, anatomical variations, accessory foramen.