C2 vertebra
Vertebra cervicalis C2
SkeletalSkeletonHead
- What it is
- The axis: carries the dens (odontoid peg), which projects up through the ring of the atlas and is held by the transverse ligament.
- Function
- Acts as the pivot for about half of all head rotation.
- Size
- Body 23 mm wide × 16 mm deep × 14 mm tall; canal ≈ 18 mm
- Clinical note
- A "hangman's fracture" breaks both pedicles of C2.