Ligament of apex dentis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ligament of apex dentis
Median sagittal section through the occipital bone and first three cervical vertebræ. (Apical odont. lig. labeled at center left.)
Latin	ligamentum apicis dentis
Gray's	subject #74 296
Dorlands/Elsevier	l_09/12491621

In the triangular interval between the alar ligaments is another fibrous cord, the ligament of apex dentis (or apical odontoid ligament), which extends from the tip of the odontoid process to the anterior margin of the foramen magnum, being intimately blended with the deep portion of the anterior atlantoöccipital membrane and superior crus of the transverse ligament of the atlas.

It is regarded as a rudimentary intervertebral fibrocartilage, and in it traces of the notochord may persist.

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained herein may be outdated. Please edit the article if this is the case, and feel free to remove this notice when it is no longer relevant.