[The omovertebral bone--new possibility of preoperative examination by computed axial tomography (author's transl)]

After a brief review of literature a case of congenital high scapula with omovertebral bone is presented by conventional X-ray films (plain X-ray and a. p. tomography). The additional computed axial tomography is of great diagnostic value, giving the surgeon a good deal of preoperative information on the anatomy of the bony connection between cervical vertebrae and scapula. The possible pitfalls of this new diagnostic technique are discussed as well as its limitation.