Blood Supply (Spinal Cord) Flashcards
What is the anterior spinal artery?
A single artery that descends anteriorly along the length of the spinal cord
*supplies the anterior 2/3 of the spinal cord (anterior and lateral columns of the spinal cord)
What does the anterior spinal artery originate from?
-R/L vertebral arteries
-various segmental branches at different levels of the spinal cord
What are the posterior L/R spinal arteries?
A pair of arteries that run posteriorly along the length of the spinal cord
What do the posterior spinal arteries originate from?
Small branches of the vertebral arteries (various segmental branches of at different levels of the spinal cord)
What do the posterior spinal arteries supply?
The posterior 1/3 of the spinal cord (posterior columns of the spinal cord)
What do the spinal cord and vertebrae drain into?
A massive longitudinal venous plexus system
What does the massive longitudinal venous plexus system drain into?
-azygos system
-iliac veins of pelvis
-head/neck veins
What are the two sub-divisions of the massive longitudinal venous plexus system?
-external vertebral plexus (anterior and posterior external plexus) aka all of the veins on the outside of the vertebral column on both sides
-internal vertebral plexus: Batson plexus (valveless network of veins that are located longitudinally in the vertebral canal)
What us the advantage of the massive/diffuse venous return system of the spinal cord?
Allows for multiple pathways to get blood back to the heart
What is the disadvantage of the massive/diffuse venous return system of the spinal cord?
Can act as a pathway for cancer and infections to spread to the spine
The plexus communicates with venous return from: pleural viscera of prostate/bladder/rectum, kidneys, lungs
*cancer cells from these regions can travel to Batsons plexus and the infection/cancer can grow within vertebral bodies
