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BONY SKELETON OF THE NECK

Like other regions of the body, the neck has a central bony skeletal core upon whichother structures attach or are related. The bones of the neck consist of the base of the skull and the 7 cervical vertebrae.If we take a look at the base of the skull, the major parts that are related to theupper neck are the:1.Foramen magnum

Occipital condyle (articulates with the superior process of the atlas.3.External occipital protuberance4.Mastoid processBelow the base of the skull, you will find the vertebralcolumn. The top vertebrae (7 cervical) provide support forthe neck structures. You will also note that these vertebraeallow passage of an important arterial supply to the brainand brain stem, the vertebral artery.

The 7th cervical vertebra starts to pick up characteristics of the upper thoracic vertebrae and may even produce a cervical rib, which can causerelated to the brachial plexus.It has the same characterists as other typical cervical vertebra except that there is no foramen for the vertebral artery and it may not have a biAfter the vertebral artery arises from the subclavian artery, it enters the transverse foramen of the 6th cervical vertebra bypassing the 7th.The spinous process of the 7 cervical vertebra is longer than those of the other cervical vertebrae and is not buried under the ligamentum nuchTherefore, it is easy to see and to palpate and is called the vertebra prominens. This can serve as a surface landmark demarcating the neck (cethoracic regions of the body.

Anterior Neck

As with all regions of the body, your study should start out with a look at the living region being studied.In the neck, the following diagram points out the major landmarks of the neck.

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Commoncarotidartery (cc)

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Internalcarotidartery (ic)

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Externalcarotidartery(ec)

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Carotidsinus(cs)Superficialstructures thatyou should knowfrom the lateralview of the neck.

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sternomastoid

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trapezius