Relationship between the sectional area of the rectus capitis posterior minor and the to be named ligament from 3D MR imaging.

Background: To evaluate the maximal sectional area (SA) of the rectus capitis posterior minor (RCPmi) muscle and its potential correlation with to be named ligament (TBNL) in the suboccipital area using 3D MR imaging.

Methods: A total of 365 subjects underwent sagittal 3D TWI MR imaging of the RCPmi and TBNL. Among them, 45 subjects were excluded due to a particular clinical history or poor image quality.