[Contents of the transversal foramen of the seventh cervical vertebra]

The purpose of our study was to evaluate the individual variations of the foramen sometimes has the same dimensions as the foramen of the other cervical vertebrae, but it can also be smaller, or absent. In cases where the foramen is present in the seventh cervical vertebra, vascular or nerve structures (or both) can be occasionally observed within. When the transverse foramina are found to contain none of the above structures, what then is to be found within this space? According to our results, the transverse foramina of the seventh cervical vertebra almost universally contain vascular and nerve branches as well as fibrous and adipose tissue. This report concerns the results of the macroscopic and microscopic studies concerning the contents of the transverse foramina of the seventh cervical vertebra.