Description
The laminae are the two broad, flat, bony plates that project posteromedially from the posterior ends of the pedicles of the axis (second cervical vertebra). They form the posterolateral parts of the vertebral arch, the posterolateral walls of the vertebral foramen, and their posterior ends unite at the midline.
The posterior roots of the transverse processes and the inferior articular processes extend from the junctions between the pedicles and laminae, and the spinous process extends from the junction between the two laminae. The laminae of the axis provide attachment sites for the ligamenta flava.
