Anatomy Vertebral column practice questions Flashcards
An 8-year-old boy presents to the orthopaedic clinic with a diagnosis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). He displays weakness in his back musculature resulting in a notable curvature of his spine. When lying supine (face up) on the exam table, there is an increased distance between the exam table and his lumbar spine. Which of the following developmental features is likely involved in this finding? Thoracic kyphosis Sacral kyphosis Lumbar lordosis Cervical lordosis Lumbar kyphosis
Lumbar lordosis
A young neurology resident is looking at axial MR images in a patient. Axial images of the cervical and thoracic spinal cord look different. Which of the following could she use to help understand when she was looking at an axial thoracic image?
Highest amount of white matter and highest amount of gray matter
Smallest amount of white matter and high amount of gray matter
Presence of a ventral horn
Presence of a dorsal horn
Highest amount of white matter and highest amount of gray matter
Smallest amount of white matter and high amount of gray matter
Presence of a ventral horn
Presence of a dorsal horn
Presence of a lateral horn
Presence of a lateral horn
because The lateral horn of the spinal cord houses cell bodies of sympathetic nerves. The sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system is present only in spinal cord levels T1-L2. Although it also is present in the beginning of the lumbar spinal cord, the lateral horn of the spinal cord is not a hallmark of cervical spinal cord sections. Therefore the lateral horn can help distinguish thoracic axial sections of spinal cord from cervical sections.
A 73-year-old woman presents to your clinic with consistent dull pain across her back. On further examination and radiographic analysis, you discern that she is suffering from facet joint arthritis of the vertebral column. What type of joint is this? Gomphotic joint Amphiarthrotic joint Synchondrotic joint Zygapophyseal joint Synarthrotic joint
Zygapophyseal joint
A zygapophyseal joint is a plane synovial joint between the superior and inferior articular facets on adjoining vertebrae.
A 68-year-old man presents to your clinic with worsening symptoms of weakness while standing, numbness, and leg pain. Physical exam and radiographic imaging reveal cervical spinal stenosis, an abnormal narrowing of the vertebral canal that is often caused by the thickening of a spinal ligament within the vertebral canal. The thickened ligament can cause compression of the spinal cord, leading to his symptoms. Which of the following spinal ligaments is most likely enlarged and causing the stenotic symptoms experienced by this patient? Ligamentum flavum Anterior longitudinal ligament Supraspinous ligament Interspinous ligament Intertransverse ligament
Ligamentum flavum
The ligamentum flavum is the only spinal ligament in this list that lies within the vertebral canal (along the posterior border) and is the ligament most frequently thickened in spinal stenosis.
A 58-year-old man consults a physician because of chronic lower back pain. The patient cannot recall any specific injury that might have initiated the problem. Magnetic resonance imaging of his lumbar spine shows evidence of spinal stenosis due to a narrowing of the vertebral canal. Which ligament could contribute to this narrowing and directly compress the spinal cord? Anterior longitudinal ligament Interspinous ligaments Ligamenta flava Ligamentum nuchae Supraspinous ligament
Ligamenta flava
Paired ligamenta flava unite the laminae of adjacent vertebrae, descending from the anterior surface of one pair of laminae to the posterior surface of the laminae on the vertebra below. They therefore enter the vertebral canal and can directly compress the spinal cord. Ligamenta flava tend to hypertrophy with age, thereby narrowing the vertebral canal. Age-related compression of the intervertebral discs can also cause the ligamenta flava to buckle against the cord
