Clivus (anatomy)

Clivus (anatomy)
Bone: Clivus (anatomy)
Clivus.png
Superior view of the clivus
Gray994.png
Longitudinal section of the head and neck showing the anatomical relation of the dens (labeled odontoid process of axis). Clivus is the inferior part of the slope at top left, the upper part of the slope belongs to the sphenoid bone.
Gray's subject #35 148

The clivus (Latin for "slope") is a part of the cranium, a shallow depression behind the dorsum sellæ that slopes obliquely backward. It forms a gradual sloping process at the anterior most portion of the basilar occipital bone at its junction with the sphenoid bone. On axial planes, it sits just posterior to the sphenoid sinuses. Just lateral to the clivus bilaterally is the foramen lacerum which contains the internal carotid artery, proximal to its anastamosis with the Circle of Willis. Posterior to the clivus is the basilar artery. The clivus supports the upper part of the pons.


Clivus is also used as an abbreviated term for the clivus ocularis which is the sloping inner wall of the retina as it dips into the foveola in the macula of the eye.

Contents

Relation of the clivus and dens

The clivus is an important landmark for checking for anatomical atlanto-occipital alignment; the clivus, when viewed on a lateral C-spine X-ray, forms a line which, if extended, is known as Wackenheim's clivus line. Wackenheim's clivus line should pass through the dens of the axis or be tangential to it.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ McKenna DA, Roche CJ, Lee KW, Torreggiani WC, Duddalwar VA. Atlanto-occipital dislocation: case report and discussion. Can J Emerg Med 2006; 8(1):50-3. Available at: link and link. Accessed on: December 7, 2006.

External links

This article was originally based on an entry from a public domain edition of Gray's Anatomy. As such, some of the information contained within it may be outdated.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Clivus — (Latin for slope , rise ) can refer to Clivus toilet Clivus (anatomy) Clivus (road), a kind of Roman road (eg the clivus suburanus) Clivus Capitolinus This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an …   Wikipedia

  • clivus — 1. A downward sloping surface. 2. [TA] The sloping surface from the dorsum sellae to the foramen magnum composed of part of the body of the sphenoid and part of the basal part of the occipital …   Medical dictionary

  • clivus — n. (in anatomy) a surface that slopes, as in part of the sphenoid bone …   The new mediacal dictionary

  • Outline of human anatomy — See also: Index of anatomy related articles Human anatomy, a branch of anatomy, is the scientific study of the morphology of the adult human. It is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross anatomy (also called topographical… …   Wikipedia

  • Pharyngeal tubercle — Infobox Bone Name = Pharyngeal tubercle Latin = tuberculum pharyngeum GraySubject = 31 GrayPage = 132 Caption = Occipital bone. Outer surface. (Pharyngeal tubercle not labeled but visible at bottom, at center of box, labeled as attachment point… …   Wikipedia

  • skeletal system, human — ▪ anatomy Introduction  the internal skeleton that serves as a framework for the body. This framework consists of many individual bones (bone) and cartilages (cartilage). There also are bands of fibrous connective tissue the ligaments (ligament)… …   Universalium

  • Abducens nerve — Nerve: Abducens nerve The path of the Abducens nerve …   Wikipedia

  • Bone — This article is about the skeletal organ. For other uses, see Bone (disambiguation) and Bones (disambiguation). For the tissue, see Osseous tissue. Drawing of a human femur Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of… …   Wikipedia

  • Internal carotid artery — Infobox Artery Name = Internal carotid artery Latin = arteria carotis interna GraySubject = 146 GrayPage = 566 Width = 250 Caption = Arteries of the neck. The internal carotid arteries arise from the common carotid arteries labeled Common caroti… …   Wikipedia

  • Ramus — In anatomy, a branch, such as a branch of a blood vessel or nerve. For example, the ramus acetabularis arteriae circumflexae femoris medialis is the branch of an artery that goes to the socket of the hip joint. The plural of ramus is rami. * * *… …   Medical dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”