Question:easy
Block vertebrae are seen in which of the following conditions?
Block vertebrae are seen in which of the following conditions?
Show Hint
Think of the syndrome with a short neck and congenitally fused cervical vertebrae.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Paget's disease
- Leukemia
- Tuberculosis
- Klippel-Feil syndrome
Show Solution
The Correct Option is D
Solution and Explanation
Step 1: The question targets a developmental defect of segmentation. When the embryonic somites fail to divide, neighbouring vertebral bodies stay joined as one block, which is what radiologists call a block vertebra.
Step 2: Among the listed options, the disease defined by congenital fusion of several cervical vertebrae is Klippel-Feil syndrome. Its clinical picture of a webbed short neck with limited head turning directly points to vertebral non-segmentation.
Step 3: This anomaly often runs together with hemivertebrae, posterior arch fusion, and the VACTERL spectrum of malformations, reinforcing its congenital origin.
Step 4: Ruling out the rest: Pott's disease (TB) erodes the disc and bodies leading to acquired collapse, Paget's disease thickens the vertebral rim into a picture-frame look, and leukemia infiltrates marrow. None of these create a true congenital block vertebra.
\[\boxed{\text{Klippel-Feil syndrome}}\]
Step 2: Among the listed options, the disease defined by congenital fusion of several cervical vertebrae is Klippel-Feil syndrome. Its clinical picture of a webbed short neck with limited head turning directly points to vertebral non-segmentation.
Step 3: This anomaly often runs together with hemivertebrae, posterior arch fusion, and the VACTERL spectrum of malformations, reinforcing its congenital origin.
Step 4: Ruling out the rest: Pott's disease (TB) erodes the disc and bodies leading to acquired collapse, Paget's disease thickens the vertebral rim into a picture-frame look, and leukemia infiltrates marrow. None of these create a true congenital block vertebra.
\[\boxed{\text{Klippel-Feil syndrome}}\]
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