Chassaignac tubercle

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Chassaignac tubercle (or tuberculum caroticum, the carotid tubercle) is the name given to the anterior tubercle of the transverse process of the sixth cervical vertebra against which the carotid artery may be compressed by the finger.

It is named for Charles Marie Édouard Chassaignac, French doctor.

The Chassaignac tubercle is used as a landmark by anesthesiologists for local anesthesia of the brachial plexus and the cervical plexus using the supraclavicular approach.