A duplicated spinous process of the C7 vertebra

Abstract

Normally the 7th cervical vertebra (C7) has a long non-bifid spine. A bifid spine is a feature of typical cervical vertebrae such as C3–C6. In contrast to past studies, which have described a bifid spine in the C3–C6 cervical vertebrae, this study is a report on the presence of a duplicated spinous process in the C7 vertebra with an intervening space. The presence of such anomalies may be associated with other congenital anomalies and needs a careful and thorough clinical approach. This is an extremely rare finding which may be of clinical interest to radiologists, neurologists, orthopaedic surgeons, anthropologists and forensic personnel. The present case report describes the anatomical details in the bone specimen along with its radiological picture in a case of a duplicated spinous process of the C7 vertebra.