Behind either
condyle
A condyle (;Entry "condyle"
in
lateral parts of occipital bone
The lateral parts of the occipital bone (also called the exoccipitals) are situated at the sides of the foramen magnum; on their under surfaces are the condyles for articulation with the superior facets of the atlas.
Description
The condyles are o ...
is a depression, the condyloid fossa (or condylar fossa), which receives the posterior margin of the superior facet of the
atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geograp ...
when the head is bent backward; the floor of this fossa is sometimes perforated by the
condyloid canal
The condylar canal (or condyloid canal) is a canal in the condyloid fossa of the lateral parts of occipital bone behind the occipital condyle. Resection of the rectus capitis posterior major and minor muscles reveals the bony recess leading to ...
, through which an
emissary vein
The emissary veins connect the extracranial venous system with the intracranial venous sinuses. They connect the veins outside the cranium to the venous sinuses inside the cranium. They drain from the scalp, through the skull, into the larger men ...
passes from the
transverse sinus
The transverse sinuses (left and right lateral sinuses), within the human head, are two areas beneath the brain which allow blood to drain from the back of the head. They run laterally in a groove along the interior surface of the occipital bone. ...
.
Additional images
File:Condyloid fossa - animation02.gif, Human skull seen from below. Position of condyloid fossa shown in red.
File:Condyloid fossa - animation04.gif, Skull and 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 ...
. Position of condyloid fossa shown in red.
File:Cervical XRayFlexionExtension.jpg, X-ray of cervical spine (neck) in flexion and extension (bending backwards)
See also
*
Occipital condyle
The occipital condyles are undersurface protuberances of the occipital bone in vertebrates, which function in articulation with the superior facets of the atlas vertebra.
The condyles are oval or reniform (kidney-shaped) in shape, and their anteri ...
*
Atlas
An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of maps of Earth or of a region of Earth.
Atlases have traditionally been bound into book form, but today many atlases are in multimedia formats. In addition to presenting geograp ...
References
External links
Illustration (#22)
Bones of the head and neck
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