The Interarticularis Of Axis's Vertebral Arch In Lateral View

Description

Framed in a lateral perspective, the animation isolates C2 (axis) and tracks along the vertebral arch to the interarticularis region between the superior and inferior articular processes. As the camera progresses, the transverse process comes into profile and the transverse foramen (foramen transversarium) resolves as a circular channel within the process, positioned lateral to the vertebral body and pedicle. Relative to the zygapophyseal joints, the interarticularis sits posterior to the vertebral body, medial to the transverse process, and just inferior to the superior articular facet that articulates with the atlas. Small positional shifts clarify how the arch components relate across the lateral neck. For the upper cervical spine, this is a practical landmark set. The C2 interarticularis is encountered in posterior approaches and instrumented fixation, where screw trajectory must respect the nearby transverse foramen and the vertebral artery that typically ascends through it. Motion through a short sequence helps you appreciate depth and overlap, separating the pedicle, pars interarticularis region, and transverse process in a way that a single lateral plate often fails to do. Small bone, big consequences. Use this animation in gross anatomy and neuroanatomy teaching on the cervical vertebrae, in orthopedic and neurosurgical education for C1 to C2 stabilization planning, and in radiology training when correlating lateral views with CT bone windows of the axis and its transverse foramen. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.