Axial Skeleton (vertebral column) Flashcards
Vertebral formula for dog
C7 T13 L7 S3 Cd~20
Vertebral formula for horse
C7 T18 L6 S5 Cd~20
Vertebral formula for ox
C7 T13 L6 S5 Cd~20
Vertebral formula for sheep/goat
C7 T13 L6(7) S4 Cd16-18
Typical vertebra body cranial extremity is convex or concave?
Convex
Typical vertebra body caudal extremity is convex or concave?
Concave
1) spinous process
2) cranial articular process
3) transverse process
4) ventral crest
5) transverse foramen
6) vertebral foramen
7a) pedicle
7B) Lamina
7) vertebral arch
What is another name for vertebral foramina and what does it house?
Vertebral canal, spinal chord
What forms the intervertebral foramina and what structures go there?
Cranial and caudal vertebral notches in arches of adjacent vertebrae, spinal nerves and vessels
What is unique about horse lateral vertebral foramina?
T 11, T 15, T16 may have fully formed lateral vertebral foramina ( intervertebral foreman w/spurs)
In cervical vertebrae what to the transverse foramina form?
Transverse canal for the vertebral VAN
What is unique to C7 compared to rest of cervical vertebrae?
Does not have transverse foramina, higher spinous process, has costal facets on its caudal surface
Name joint associated w/ the atlas, and type of joint
Atlanto-occipital joint, synovial
Why is the atlas atypical?
Reduced body and ventral arch, no spinous process or intervertebral foramen
Name Clinical significance of atlas traverse processes
Cranial ends of wings can be palpated with nochal crest to locate atlantooccipital joint to access CSF
Name joint caudal to atlas
Atlantoaxial joint
Name bone, species, and labels
Atlas, dog
1) lateral vertebral foramen
2) wing
3) alar notch
How does horse atlas differ?
Fully formed alar foramen (vs. Notch)
Why is axis atypical?
Long body, large ridge (instead of spinous process), dens
“Yes” joint
Atlantooccipital
“No” joint
Atlantoaxial
What is purpose of dens?
Articulation pivot for Atlantoaxial joint
1) body
2) ventral crest
3) dens
4) cranial articulation process
5) spinous process
6) cranial vertebral notch
7) transverse process
8) transverse foramen
9) caudal articular process
10) caudal vertebral notch
What is unique to C6
Large transverse process (sx and radiograph landmark)
Features of thoracic vertebrae
Short body and transverse processes, 6 costal foveae/facets
Describe location of costal facets in thoracic vertebrae and what they articulate with
Body has 4 ( 2 cranial, 2 caudal) that articulate with heads of ribs
Transverse processes have 2 (1 each) that articulate with tubercle
Of ribs
1) spinous process
2) caudal articular process
3) transverse process with costal fovea
4) mammillary process
5) caudal vertebral notch
6,7) costal foveae
8) body
What are the withers
Elongated dorsal spinal processes of T2-8
Apex formed by dsp’s of T4-7
What are the anticlinal vertebrae and clinical significance
And which specific vertebrae in dogs/horses
Where angulation of DSPs change (from caudal to cranial facing), radiograph landmarks
Dog- T11
Horse - T15,16
What is kissing spines? And how to treat
Overcrowding of dsp’s in horses and they make articulate (pseudoarthrosis) causing back pain
Treat with NSAIDs, acupuncture, or removing spinous processes
What is convention when numbering in ribs
Rib number correlates to caudal articulating vertebrae
For ribs 1-10
Ribs 11-13 articulate with rib of same #
How many ribs and intercostal spaces in carnivores/ ruminants vs equine
Carnivores / ruminants - 13 pairs of ribs, 12 ICS
Equine - 18 pairs of ribs, 17 ICS
Which ribs are sternal (true), asternal (false), or floating
1-9 sternal
10-12 asternal
13 floating (dogs only)
1-7 ) sternebrae
8) combined costal cartilages of ribs 8 and 9
9) costochondral junction (ccj)
10) costal arch
11) cartilage of floating rib
12) intercostal space (ics)
What is a ventral thoracotomy?
Splitting sternum along its length - gives access to both sides of the chest at one time
How many sternebrae are typical)
6-8 (species dependent)
1) manubrium
2) cartilage of manubrium
3,4) sternebrae forming the body
s) xiphoid process
6) xiphoid cartilage
7) intersternal cartilage
8) sternocostal joint
9) rib
Features of lumbar vertebrae
Massive body, large transverse processes (like a plate) that point cranially, no costal facets
Lumbar vertebrae
1) body
2) caudal extremity
3) transverse process
4) mamillary process
5) accessory process
6) spinous process
7) caudal articular process
8) intervertebral foramen
9) caudal vertebral notch
Clinical significance lumbar vertebrae
Last rib Is palpable, located at same level as caudal aspect of L2
L7 is btw wings or ilia and the palpable spine just cranial to ilia wings is L6
What is mamillary process
Paired, present from T2/T3 to L7
Small tubercles project dorsally on cranial articular process
Accessory processes
Paired, present in last few thoracic and all lumbar
Pointed caudally, lateral to the caudal particular process
What is unique to horses with lumbar vertebrae
Last few lumbar TPS articulate with each other
Also articulate with wings of sacrum
What is spina bifida
Cleft vertebra (neural arches fail to meet dorsal to the spinal cord – open vertebral canal)
Associated with neural tube defects
Common in English Bulldogs
What is the sacrum
3 fused vertebrae, forms roof of pelvic cavity
1) promontory
2) auricular articular surface
3) ventral sacral foramina
4) wing
5) ventral sacral foramira
What is the lateral sacral crest?
Fused transverse processes
What is the ventral sacral foramina?
2 pairs, transmits ventral branches of sacral nerves/vessels
Number Of foramina=
Fused vertebrae -1
What is the median sacral crest
Fused spinous process
What are the dorsal sacral foramina
2 pairs, transmit dorsal branches of sacral nerves and vessels
Caudal vertebrae characteristics
Vary in # (~20) and shape
Vertebral canal not present after cd6
Gradually lose all processes until elongated bodies only remain
What is hemal aka chevron arch?
In Cranial and caudal vertebra 4-6 where median coccygeal artery passes btw arms of the arch
Prominent in cattle
Caudal vertebrae
1) spinous process
2) transverse process
3) hemal arch/ chevron
What is unique to Transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae in horses
L5, L6 TPs articulate
L6 TPs articulate with wings of sacrum
Ligaments fixing the dens of the axis
4) transverse ligament of atlas
5) alar ligaments
6) apical ligament of dens
7) atlanto-occipital joint capsule
What is atlanto-axial subluxation
congenital or acquired condition w/ abnormality of the dens or its ligaments
atlanto-axial joint is unstable
results in spinal cord compression from dorsally displaced dens
What is fibrocatilaginous embolism (FCE)
ischemic necrosis of part of the spinal cord subsequent to herniation of an IVD into spinal cord blood vessels
AKA necrotizing myelopathy, embolic myelopathy, fibrocartilaginous infarct or ischemic myelopathy
