title: [Phalanx-like osseous structure posterior to the cervical vertebrae: a hitherto unreported location for a rare anomaly].
abstract: Several types of abnormalities of the vertebral column have been reported. Pelvic rib or pelvic digit is a rare congenital anomaly of the spine. A 58-year-old male patient presented with a complaint of a firm mass in the neck. He had no history of trauma and had been aware of the mass for years. Physical examination showed a painless and immobile mass in the neck, measuring 4 x 1 cm. About 10 to 15 degrees of restriction was noted in neck movements, with slight pain. A plain radiograph of the cervical region showed two bony formations resembling a coccygeal segment or a phalanx, posterior to the spinous process of the C6 vertebra. They had well-defined cortices and medullae and pseudo-articulation between each other and with the spinous process. These findings were confirmed by three-dimensional computed tomography and magnetic resonance images. The patient did not accept surgery for the lesions were not associated with a significant discomfort. To our knowledge, such a digit has hitherto not been reported in the cervical region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology (Ortopedi ve Travmatoloji Anabilim Dali), Medicine Faculty of Fatih University, Ankara, Turkey. atalarhakan@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Atalar
authors.forename: Osman Y
authors.initials: OY
authors.lastname: Yavuz
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Doğruel
authors.forename: Sema Atalay
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Catal
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Sayli
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011859:Radiography