MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF C2 VERTEBRA

C2 or second cervical vertebra of cervical spine is named as axis, vertebra dentata or epistropheus. It has a prominent odontoid process called dens and characteristic typical features. C2 vertebra injuries are most risky one of all spinal injuries and many surgical procedures are performed to decompress or to stabilize it. Our first aim was to analyse the morphometric features of C2 vertebra extensively. We used fifty-six measurements for thirty-seven parameters to evaluate C2 features in a total of seventy vertebrae of the late Byzantine era, which are preserved at the Department of Anatomy of Medical School of Uludag University. Vertebrae used in the study have been excavated in 1984 from the archaeological site of Nicea in Iznik, Turkey. All parameters have been measured digitally from photographs using Scion Image Software (ver. 4.0.3.2). We methodically present our morphometric measurements in this manuscript. As Forensic anthropologists and bioarcheologists, we have increased attention on the estimation of measurable bony features from fragmented bones based on markers. We believe that our data are useful for applications on physical anthropology and forensic medicine.