Unclosed transverse foramen of the atlas: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prevalence and translational anatomical relevance

Archivos
Paper 17 2026.pdf (3.63 MB)
Fecha
2026-06-29
Nota de Acceso
Fecha de embargo
Autores
Profe guía
Perfil ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1781-062X
Título de la revista
ISSN de la revista
Título del volumen
Editor
Elsevier
ISBN
ISSN
ISSNe
2214-854X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tria.2026.100506
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12254/7742
Resumen
Background: The atlas vertebra (C1) has a close anatomical relationship with the vertebral artery through the transverse foramen. Incomplete osseous closure of this canal, described as an unclosed transverse foramen (UTF), may modify the expected bony boundaries around the vertebral artery. Objective: This systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the prevalence of UTF in anatomically modern humans and summarized its anatomical and potential clinical implications. Methods: Searches were conducted in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus and complementary sources following PRISMA 2020 and evidence-based anatomy recommendations. Eligible studies were original human anatomical, osteological, cadaveric, skeletal or imaging-based studies that reported C1-specific UTF with an extractable numerator and denominator. Methodological quality was assessed using the AQUA tool. Pooled prevalence was estimated using a random-effects model with logit-transformed proportions. Results: Six studies were included in the quantitative synthesis. The pooled prevalence of UTF was 8.8%, with negligible between-study heterogeneity. Methodological quality was predominantly favorable. Conclusions: UTF is an uncommon but recurrent anatomical variant of the atlas. Current evidence does not establish isolated UTF as an independent cause of symptoms. The variant should nevertheless be recognized in anatomical description, radiological reporting and preoperative planning for upper cervical procedures.
Descripción
Lugar de Publicación
Alemania
Sponsorship
Citación
Translational Research in Anatomy, Vol. 44 (2026) pp. 1-7
Palabras clave
Atlas, C1, Transverse foramen, Unclosed transverse foramen, Vertebral artery, Anatomical variation, Meta-analysis
Licencia
Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 3.0 Chile (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 CL)
Licencia URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/cl/
Colecciones
Artículos de Revistas