Figure 1-20
Components common to all vertebrae.

Anatomy common to All Vertebrae (Figure 1-20)

• Body
• Neural Arch
• Articular process
• superior
• inferior
• Lamina
• Pedicle
• Spinous process
• Transverse process
• Vertebral notch
• superior
• inferior
• Intervertebral foramen
• composed of superior and inferior notches
• Vertebral foramen
• Vertebral canal
• composed of several vertebral foramina
• intervertebral discs

Anatomy common to Cervical Vertebrae

• Transverse foramina
• Vertebra prominens - The vertebra prominens is the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra and the first palpable on the superior end of the vertebral column.

Anatomy common to Thoracic Vertebrae

• Costal facets
• Body
• Pedicle
• Transverse process

Anatomy common to Lumbar Vertebrae

• Massive vertebral bodies
• Rounded short spinous processes
• Vertebral foramen small with pinched lateral angles

Anatomy common to Sacral Vertebrae

All five vertebrae are fused to each other

• Superior surface
• body of first sacral vertebra
• sacral promontory
• alae
• superior articular processes (SAP)
• Anterior surface
• anterior sacral foramina (ASF)
• Lateral surface
• auricular surface
• Posterior surface
• posterior sacral foramina (PSF)
• sacral canal
• sacral hiatus