Morphometric analysis of human occipital condyle.
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.
Naderi
Sait
S
Department of Neurosurgery, Dokuz Eylül University School of Medicine, 35340 Izmir, Turkey. snaderi@deu.edu.tr
Korman
Esin
E
Citak
Güven
G
Güvençer
Mustafa
M
Arman
Candan
C
Senoğlu
Mehmet
M
Tetik
Süleyman
S
Arda
M Nuri
MN
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*