History of Cervical Spine Localization: Surface Landmarks.

Interest in the relational anatomy of the anterior neck among spine surgeons grew following the popularization of the anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in the 1950's. Five surface landmarks and their relationship to specific spinal levels have been routinely described including; the angle of the mandible for the C2-C3 interspace, the hyoid bone for the C3 body, the thyroid cartilage for the C4-C5 disc, and the cricoid cartilage and carotid tubercle for the C6 body. We aimed to investigate the origins of these anatomic relationships and their application in modern practice.
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