The ligament of apex dentis (or apical odontoid ligament) is a ligament that spans between the second

cervical vertebra In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (singular: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and lumbar vertebrae in mammals) lie caudal (toward the tail) of cervical vertebrae. In sa ...

in the neck and the

skull The skull is a bone protective cavity for the brain. The skull is composed of four types of bone i.e., cranial bones, facial bones, ear ossicles and hyoid bone. However two parts are more prominent: the cranium and the mandible. In humans, th ...

. It lies as a fibrous cord in the triangular interval between the

alar ligament In anatomy, the alar ligaments are ligaments which connect the Axis (anatomy), dens (a Process (anatomy), bony protrusion on the second cervical vertebrae, cervical vertebra) to Tubercle (anatomy), tubercles on the Anatomical terms of location#Med ...

s, which extends from the tip of the

odontoid process In anatomy, the axis (from Latin ''axis'', "axle") or epistropheus is the second cervical vertebra (C2) of the spine, immediately inferior to the atlas, upon which the head rests. The axis' defining feature is its strong odontoid process (bon ...

on the

axis An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to: Mathematics * Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis * Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...

to the anterior margin of the foramen magnum, being intimately blended with the deep portion of the anterior atlantooccipital membrane and superior crus of the

transverse ligament of the atlas In anatomy, the transverse ligament of the atlas is a ligament which arches across the ring of the atlas (the topmost cervical vertebra, which directly supports the skull), and keeps the odontoid process in contact with the atlas. Anatomy It is co ...

It is regarded as a rudimentary

intervertebral fibrocartilage An intervertebral disc (or intervertebral fibrocartilage) lies between adjacent vertebrae in the vertebral column. Each disc forms a fibrocartilaginous joint (a symphysis), to allow slight movement of the vertebrae, to act as a ligament to hold ...

, and in it traces of the notochord may persist.

References

External links

* Ligaments of the head and neck Bones of the vertebral column {{ligament-stub