title: Morphometric analysis of human occipital condyle.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The human occipital condyle is the unique bony structure connecting the cranium and the vertebral column. The progress in neuroimaging techniques has increased interest for aggressive craniovertebral surgery. Such surgery requires the knowledge regarding anatomical aspects of the craniovertebral junction. The aim of the present study is to analyze the occipital condyle morphometrically.
  
  
  METHODS
  404 occipital condyles of 202 dry skulls were used for this study. Twenty-seven parameters were measured, including length, width and height of occipital condyle, the distances between the occipital condyle and hypoglossal canal, as well as some important condyle-related angles.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The length, width and the height of the occipital condyle were found to be 23.4, 10.6, and 9.2 mm, respectively. The anterior and posterior intercondylar distances are 21.0 and 41.6 mm, respectively. Sagittal intercondylar angle was 59.3 degrees. The intracranial orifice of the hypoglossal canal was found in the junction of the second and third quarter on the condyle in more than 55% of specimens. The shape of occipital condyles was classified into eight types as follows--type 1: oval-like condyle; type 2: kidney-like condyle; type 3: S-like condyle; type 4: eight-like condyle; type 5: triangle condyle; type 6: ring-like condyle; type 7: two-portioned condyle and type 8: deformed condyle. The most common type was type 1 (50%), whereas the most unusual type was type 7 (0.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is concluded that the occipital condyle may present various shapes, length, width, and orientation, requiring a careful radiological analysis before craniovertebral junction surgery.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine, 35340 Izmir, Turkey. snaderi@deu.edu.tr
authors.forename: Sait
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Naderi
authors.forename: Esin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Korman
authors.forename: Güven
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Citak
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Güvençer
authors.forename: Candan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arman
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Senoğlu
authors.forename: Süleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tetik
authors.forename: M Nuri
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Arda
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001269:Atlanto-Occipital Joint / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D002508:Cephalometry; D001270:Cervical Atlas / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003388:Cranial Fossa, Posterior / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D007002:Hypoglossal Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009777:Occipital Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology*