Anatomy🫀 Flashcards
(546 cards)
Length of spinal cord
- 45 cm in the adult male
- 42 cm in the adult female.
Location of spinal cord
in the upper two-thirds of the vertebral canal.
beginning of spinal cord
as the continuation of the medulla oblongata just below the foramen magnum.
Ending of spinal cord
- The lower end of the cord is called the conus medullaris. It ends at:
1. Intrauterine life: Fills the whole vertebral canal.
2. In the new born: At the level of L3.
3. In the adult: At the level of the lower border of the L1.
Enlargments of spinal cord
Cervical enlargement: (C5-T1) in the cervical region & gives origin to brachial plexus.
Lumbar enlargement: (L1-S2) in the lumbar region & gives origin to lumbosacral plexus.
what is cauda equina?
individual spinal nerves within spinal cord
What are the layers of spinal meninges?
- The dura matter
- The arachnoid matter
- The pia matter
Description of The dura mater
the outer layer and ends at the level of the 2nd sacral vertebra (S2).
Discription of the arachnoid matter
the middle layer and ends at the level of the 2nd sacral vertebra.
Description of the pia matter
- inner layer and forms two types of ligaments:
- Filum terminale
- 2 denticulate ligaments
Filum terminale
It extends from the conus medullaris to the back of the coccyx.
2 denticulate ligaments
They extend from the pia mater, pierce arachnoid mater to be attached to the dura mater.
what is Lumbar Cistern?
It is a part of the subarachnoid space.
Extension of Lumbar Cistern
It extends from L2 to S2.
Significance of Lumbar Cistern
It is used for lumbar puncture (injection of drugs, anasthesia and CSF sampling).
Contents of Lumbar Cistern
- The CSF
- Cauda equina: roots of lumbar and sacral nerves
- Filum terminal interna.
which artries supply the spinal cord?
- Anterior Spinal Artery
- Two Posterior Spinal Arteries
- Radicular Arteries
where does Anterior Spinal Artery arise from? and what does it supply?
- Is a single artery arises from the vertebral artery.
- It supplies the anterior 2/3rds of the spinal cord.
where do the Two Posterior Spinal Arterie from? and what do they supply?
- Each is a branch of the vertebral artery or usually from the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA).
- They supply the posterior 1/3 of the spinal cord.
what is the major source of blood to the lower two-thirds of the spinal cord?
- They are the major source of blood to the lower two-thirds of the spinal cord. They are branches from:
a. In the neck: from the vertebral & ascending cervical arteries.
b. In the thorax: from the intercostal arteries.
c. In the abdomen: from the lumbar arteries.
d. In the pelvis: from the lateral sacral arteries.
Venous drainage of the spinal cord
The veins correspond to the arteries and drain into the internal vertebral venous plexus in the epidural space.
How many spinal cord segments are there?
- The spinal cord has 31 segments corresponding to the number of the spinal nerves:
8 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral and 1 coccygeal segment.
Roots of each segment
Each segment has a pair of dorsal and ventral nerve roots.
what characterizes the first and last spinal nerves?
Each of them only has a dorsal (Sensory) root and no ventral root