Vertebral arch anomaly

What it means

A morphological abnormality of the vertebral arch, i.e., of the posterior part of a vertebra.

A vertebral arch is the posterior part of a vertebra and forms the canal through which the spinal cord passes. A vertebral arch consists of (i) a pair of vertebral pedicles, which are short thick processes that extend from the vertebral body to connect the body to the vertebral arch; (ii) a pari of vertebral laminae (broad plates that extending dorsally and medially from the pedicles fusing with one another to complete the roof of the vertebral arch); (iii) the spinous process (a process that is directed backward and downward from the junction of the laminae and to which muscles and ligaments attach); (iv) two superior articular processes and two inferior articular processes that articulate between two adjacent vertebrae); and (v) two transverse processes that extend at either side from the point where the lamina joins the pedicle, between the superior and inferior articular processes and allow the attachment of muscles and ligaments.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Vertebral arch abnormalities