Objective : Anterior anatomical re­lations and measurements of the sub-axial cervical vertebrae are essential to safely perform successful anterior cervical surgery and decompression. We studied the anatomy and impor­tant measurements of the cadaveric cervical spines to elucidate the rela­tionships between the neurovascuiar structures and the surrounding bones.
Materials and methods : Our measurements were in adult Egyptian male cadaveric spines. They included the distance between the medial bor­ders of the longus colli muscles (LCM) at the level of each interspace disc; the depth (thickness) of (LCM), the distance between the medial bor­der of (LCM) and vertebral artery (VA); the width and height of each
non- distracted disc space at the mid-line; width and height of the costal process; length of the (VA) between the costal processes; distance from the medial border of the foramen transversarium to the contra-lateral one; the height and width of the unci-nate process (UP); the distance be­tween the tip of the UP and the inter-vertebral foramen above and from the tip of the UP to the VA; the height of the distracted disc space at the mid­point; the distance from the postero-medial end of the UP to the VA and from the postero-medial end of the UP to the nerve root.
Results : The highest of the non-distracted disc space was at C5-C6 while the highest of the distracted disc space was at C3-C4. The width of the costal process was the shortest at C3 and longest at C7. The height