Ligamentum transversum atlantis

Name: Ligamentum transversum atlantis
Published: 2022-10-22T00:00:00+00:00

Last edited and medically reviewed by Alaric Steinmetz on 22.10.2022

The ligamentum transversum atlantis (TAL) is a short, very strong ligament that spans the bony ring of the atlas and holds the dens axis in position.

Figure

Disruption of the ligamentum transversum atlantis can be inferred indirectly¹:

Rule of Spence
Atlantodental interval (ADI): > 3 mm in adults and > 4 mm in the pediatric population².

References

Handbook of Neurosurgery. Greenberg M, ed. 9th Edition. New York: Thieme ↩ ↩ ↩ ↩

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