Harvesting and preparation of cadaveric osseoligamentous lower cervical spine (C2-C7) for biomechanical testing

Cadaveric osseoligamentous lower cervical spines (C2-C7) are often used in the investigation of spinal biomechanics in vitro. Surprisingly, however, the techniques of harvesting at postmortem and preparation of cadaveric osseoligamentous lower cervical spine for biomechanical testing have not been described in detail. We describe a simple and effective method that can be readily integrated into the routine autopsy procedure. Points on the avoidance of disfiguring the cadaver and damaging the spinal osseoligamentous structures are highlighted.