Imaging of the absent cervical pedicle

The absent cervical pedicle is an interesting congenital anomaly which has been described in several previous case reports. Of primary importance is its recognition to avoid confusion with more clinically significant abnormalities such as fracture or an enlarged neural foramen. Although many cases can be diagnosed from the plain radiographic findings alone, it is occasionally necessary to employ another imaging modality for more definitive evaluation. We describe two cases of absent cervical pedicle imaged with computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.