International Journal of Head and Neck Surgery

Register      Login

VOLUME 12 , ISSUE 1 ( January-March, 2021 ) > List of Articles

CASE REPORT

Cervical Transverse Mega-apophysis: A Rare Cause of Plexopathy

Pierre Ferrer, Ana S Álvarez, Juan R Penanes

Keywords : Cervical, Plexopathy, Spine, Transverse mega-apophysis

Citation Information : Ferrer P, Álvarez AS, Penanes JR. Cervical Transverse Mega-apophysis: A Rare Cause of Plexopathy. Int J Head Neck Surg 2021; 12 (1):40-42.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10001-1418

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 31-03-2021

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2021; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim: This article aims to describe the case of a 43-year-old male with a neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome caused by a C7 transverse mega-apophysis. Background: Cervical transverse mega-apophysis, transverse apophysomegaly, or elongation of the transverse vertebral process represents a variation of normal skeletal anatomy. This variation has been little studied and its prevalence in the population is unknown because it often exists without symptoms. It is estimated that less than 10% of cases are symptomatic. Case description: We present a rare case of a man with a neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (in this case, a left plexopathy) caused by a cervical transverse mega-apophysis. After surgical intervention, the patient improved and after a 1-year follow-up, he remained asymptomatic. Conclusion: Even though some authors describe cervical pain associated with this condition, we found very few data regarding plexopathy or other neurological symptoms caused by a cervical transverse apophysomegaly.


HTML PDF Share
  1. The transverse mega-apophysis - an unusual neck lump. Br J Oral Maxillofac Surg 2010;48(3):201–202. DOI: 10.1016/j.bjoms.2009.08.026.
  2. Congenital rib abnormalities; Statistical study of 10,000 radiographs. Radiol Clin 1956;25:170–186.
  3. Thoracic outlet syndrome. Agri 2005;17(2):5–9.
  4. Thoracic outlet syndrome: a neurological and vascular disorder. Clin Anat 2014;27(5):724–732. DOI: 10.1002/ca.22271.
  5. Familial anomaly of the seventh cervical vertebra. Radio-clinic comparison in a fourteen-member family. J de Radiolo 1982;63(4):273–277.
  6. Variation of the transverse apophysis of the 7th cervical vertebra: anatomo-radiological study of an isolated population. Arch Ital Anat Embriol 1990;95(1):11–16.
  7. Cervical rib synostosis to the first rib: a rare anatomic variation. World Neurosurg 2020;10(138):187–192. DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.03.009.
  8. Minimally invasive resection of symptomatic cervical rib for treatment of thoracic outlet syndrome. World Neurosurg 2020;139:219–222. DOI: 10.1016/j.wneu.2020.03.049.
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.