Anatomy
Pedicles project posteriorly from either side of the back of the vertebral body, joining laminae which themselves meet at the midline (from where a spinous process projects back and down) to complete the neural arch (enclosing the vertebral foramen).
Where pedicle meets lamina each side, a transverse process, to which muscles and ligaments attach, projects out (and a superior articular process up and an inferior articular process down).
The transverse process of a cervical vertebra (unlike a thoracic vertebra) has a small perforation called the transverse foramen, through which vertebral vessels pass. The transverse process divides at its tip into a small anterior and posterior tubercle.
Clinical
Cervical transverse processes have vertebral foramina; thoracic transverse processes have articulation with tubercles of ribs.
Interested in taking our award-winning Pocket Anatomy app for a test drive?
