Description
The pedicles are the two short cylindrical processes that project posteriorly from the posterolateral aspects of the vertebral body of the axis (second cervical vertebra). They form the anterior parts of the vertebral arch, the lateral walls of the vertebral foramen, and connect the vertebral body to the laminae.
The superior articular processes extend from the junctions between the pedicles and vertebral body, the anterior roots of the transverse processes extend from the pedicles, and the posterior roots of the transverse processes and the inferior articular processes extend from the junctions between the pedicles and laminae. Each pedicle of the axis consists of an inferior vertebral notch.
Overall, the pedicles of adjacent vertebrae form spaces known as intervertebral foramina, and it is through these foramina that spinal nerves and vessels exit the vertebral column.
