human anatomy Human anatomy (gr. ἀνατομία, "dissection", from ἀνά, "up", and τέμνειν, "cut") is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross ...

, arcuate foramen, also known as ponticulus posticus (

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for "little posterior bridge") or Kimmerle's anomaly, refers to a bony bridge on the

atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

(C1

vertebra Each vertebra (: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spina ...

) that covers the groove for the

vertebral artery The vertebral arteries are major artery, arteries of the neck. Typically, the vertebral arteries originate from the subclavian arteries. Each vessel courses superiorly along each side of the neck, merging within the skull to form the single, m ...

. It is a common

anatomical variation An anatomical variation, anatomical variant, or anatomical variability is a presentation of body structure with Morphology (biology), morphological features different from those that are typically described in the majority of individuals. Anatomica ...

and estimated to occur in approximately 3-15% of the population.Full Text
It occurs in females more commonly than males.{{cite journal , author=Stubbs D , title=The arcuate foramen. Variability in distribution related to race and sex , journal=Spine , volume=17 , issue=12 , pages=1502–4 , year=1992 , pmid=1471009 , doi=10.1097/00007632-199212000-00010, s2cid=33676985 The ponticulus posticus is created through ossification of the posterior atlantooccipital ligament.

Pathology

The presence of arcuate foramen is associated with

headache A headache, also known as cephalalgia, is the symptom of pain in the face, head, or neck. It can occur as a migraine, tension-type headache, or cluster headache. There is an increased risk of Depression (mood), depression in those with severe ...

, musculoskeletal pain and vertebrobasilar

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

References

Skeletal system Human head and neck Anatomical variations