10/07 Flashcards
vein follow the same or close to the same pattern of the
arteries
What is the artery in the front of the cord called?
Anterior Spinal Artery
Where does the anterior spinal artery sit?
in the anterior median fissure
What are the arteries on the back of the cord called?
Posterior lateral arteries
Where does blood come from that feeds the posterior spinal arteries?
upper portion:
vertebral arteries- found in the neck branching off of the circle of Willis
Anterior inferior cerebellar artery
posterior cerebellar artery
lower portion:
posterior radicular artery/medullary artery/segmental artery
Where do radicular/medullary artery/segmental artery arteries come from?
intercostal arteries
how many intercostal arteries do we have?
12
radicular/medullary artery/segmental artery branching is very inconsistent between
every person
Do the arteries in the spinal cord wrap all the way around the spinal cord?
no, they only go to the anterior or posterior median fissure
for every 5 or 6 levels, we might have a radicular artery coming in from the
top or bottom,
left or right
what does coronal mean?
crown
what are the coronal arteries?
the small arteries that come off the the anterior medial artery or posterior lateral arteries and branch towards the sides of the cord
If you have damage to part of the spinal cord arteries, it can be a little worse off than the brain, why?
There is no complete circle connecting the anterior spinal artery and lateral spinal arteries, so there is nowhere for the blood to take an alternative route on
What is the difference in the spinal veins vs. arteries?
there is a big medial vein on the posterior side of the cord
Where does the aorta sit on a thoracic vertebra?
on the left side of the vertebral body
what branches off of the thoracic aorta?
the intercostal arteries to feed the rib cage
what does the dorsal branch artery come from?
from the intercostal artery which comes from the thoracic aorta
Where does the spinal branch come from?
the dorsal branch artery which feeds off of the intercostal artery which comes from the thoracic aorta
At every level you have a spinal branch coming off of the dorsal branch of the intercostal artery’s, but the step after the spinal branch ______ from level to level
varies
Where does the spinal branch sit?
on top of the dorsal root ganglion
What are the options that spinal branch arteries can take?
right front or back of the cord
left front or back of the cord
What is the top part of the aorta called?
thoracic aorta
What is the bottom part of the aorta called?
abdominal aorta
what are the arteries that come off the bottom of the aortic artery on the left and right side?
renal arteries
What keeps our small intestine supplied with blood?
mesenteric artery
If you want to repair an aneurism, you have to _____ the aorta
clamp
what do you worry about when thinking of clamping the aorta?
the health of all of the organs below the aorta (like kidneys), and the health of the spinal cord below the clamping (worried about motor)
how many radicular arteries do most people have in the front of the cord in the neck?
2
how many radicular arteries do most people have in the front of the cord in the thorax?
2-3
how many radicular arteries do most people have in the front of the cord in the lumbar spine?
1-2
anterior spinal artery takes care of what percent of cord tissue?
75%
posterior spinal artery takes care of what percent of cord tissue?
25%
The Greater radicular artery feeds what?
2/3 of the lower cord
in the vast majority of patients we would expect the greater radicular artery to feed into the anterior spinal artery from which side of the cord?
left
If you had to pick a vertebra to pinpoint where the greater radicular artery feeds into the anterior spinal artery, which vertebra would it be?
T10
If you had to pick a vertebra range to pinpoint where the greater radicular artery feeds into the anterior spinal artery, which vertebra range would it be?
T9-T12
75% of people
What is the absolute range for where the greater radicular artery feeds into the anterior spinal artery?
T5-L5
what is another name for the GRA (great radicular artery?)
artery of Adamkiewicz
if you clamp below the artery of Adamkiewicz you would or would not be worried about the patient waking up paralyzed?
would not
if you clamp above the artery of Adamkiewicz you would be worried about what consequence?
the patient waking up paralyzed from under profusion of the grey matter where motor neurons are in the cord below the clamp.