Atlantooccipital joint, atlantoaxial joint and cervical vertebrae dissected from behind

Median atlantoaxial joint opened from behind

Stanford holds the copyright to the David L. Bassett anatomical images and has assigned Creative Commons license Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International to all of the images.
For additional information regarding use and permissions, please contact the Medical History Center.

Image #218-3

Atlantooccipital joint, atlantoaxial joint and cervical vertebrae dissected from behind

Median atlantoaxial joint opened from behind

The left half of the transverse ligament (21) has been divided to permit the cruciform ligament to be reflected posteriorly and to the right. The joint cavity between the dens and the cruciform ligament was thus opened. The considerable thickness of the transverse ligament and of the alar ligaments(18) is evident in the sectioned ends of these structures.

1. Clivus
2. Accessory nerve (XII)
3. Upper pointer: Hypoglossal canal (opened) Lower pointer: Hypoglossal nerve (XII)
4. Vagus nerve (X)
5. Atlantooccipital joint cavity
6. Vertebral artery
7. Ventral branch cervical nerve I
8. Posterior arch of atlas
9. Lateral atlantoaxial joint cavity
10. Ganglion cervical nerve II
11. Dura mater
12. Posterior longitudinal ligament
13. Roots of hypoglossal nerve (XII)
14. Tectorial membrane (cut edge)
15. Cruciform ligament of atlas (divided, lower part retracted)
16. Fibrous tissue and blood vessels in anterior part of foramen magnum (ligamentum apicis dentis not well defined)
17. Vertebral artery (cut across)
18. Alar ligament (divided on left)
19. Dens (axis) (joint cavity between dens and transverse ligament opened)
20. Tectorial membrane (cut across)
21. Transverse ligament of atlas (divided)
22. Lateral atlanto axial joint capsule (opened)
23. Body of axis