Dorsal region of neck
Regio colli dorsalis
Definition
The dorsal region of the neck extends from the base of the skull (occipital region) to the withers, at the level of the first thoracic vertebrae.
It is characterized by the spinous processes of the cervical vertebrae, the nuchal ligament (particularly well developed in large herbivores), and a substantial muscle mass (splenius, rhomboideus, trapezius). This region is essential for supporting the head and allows extension, lateral flexion, and rotational movements of the neck.
References
Sharir A, Milgram J, Shahar R. Structural and functional anatomy of the neck musculature of the dog (Canis familiaris). J Anat. 2006 Mar;208(3):331-51. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2006.00533.x. PMID: 16533316; PMCID: PMC2100244.
Hartmann K, Düver P, Kaiser S, Fischer C, Forterre F. CT-Scan Based Evaluation of Dorsal-to-Ventral Ratios of Paraspinal Musculature in Chondrodystrophic and Non-chondrodystrophic Dogs. Front Vet Sci. 2020 Nov 4;7:577394. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2020.577394. PMID: 33330697; PMCID: PMC7672003.
