MSK 08-09 - Imaging and Clinical Anatomy of the Back Flashcards
What are the types of odontoid fractures?
What type of odontoid fracture is the most unstable? Why?
What is the pars interarticularis? What is a defect in this structure called?
A small segment of bone that joins the facet joints in the back of the spine. A defect in this portion of the spine leads to a condition called spondylolysis.
What is the Hangman’s Fracture? What causes it, besides being hung?
A traumatic spondylolysis of C2 which usually occurs as a result of hyperextension of the head and neck. Injury of the spinal cord and/or brainstem is likely to occur.
What are some injuries less severe than hangman’s fracture that cranial hyperextension and hyperflexion can cause?
What is a Jefferson Burst fracture and what causes it?
Does a Jefferson Burst fracture typically result in spinal cord injury? Why or why not?
Facts to know about wedge/compression fractures?
What is a chance fracture? Where are they commonly seen? What are they usually caused by?
Label radiogram and say what it depicts?
Chance Fracture
What is a burst fracture? What causes it? What other complications can this fracture cause?
Describe what, when, and where a scotty dog is seen on a radiograph? Describe what makes up each component of the soctty dog.
The scotty dog sign refers to the normal appearance of the lumbar spine when seen on oblique radiographic projection. On oblique views, the posterior elements of vertebra form the figure of a Scotty dog with:
the transverse process being the nose
the pedicle forming the eye
the inferior articular facet being the front leg
the superior articular facet representing the ear
the pars interarticularis (the portion of the lamina that lies between the facets) equivalent to the neck of the dog.
What is a simple spondylolysis and how does it appear on a radiograph?
A simple spondylolysis is a fracture of the pars interarticularis. The fracture appears across the neck of the scotty dog making it appear to wear a collar
What is a spondylolisthesis and how does it appear on a radiograph?
Spondylolisthesis is the slippage or displacement of one vertebra compared to another. It usually starts as a spondylolysis. In those cases the scotty dog will appear to be decapitated on a radiograph.
What are the areas of the back that are the “pain producers) and which areas are immune to pain?
Facts to know about posture.
What exactly is a slipped disc?
How will a herniated disc appear on a radiograph?
Which intervertebral discs herniate most frequently? Which nerves get compressed when this occur?
The lumbar intervertebral discs herniate most frequently and they will compress the spinal nerves below them (ie - an L4/L5 disc herniation would compress the L5 nerve).
What makes up the axial and appendicular skeleton?
The Axial skeleton consists of the skull, vertebral column, sternum, and ribs.
The appendicular skeleton is everything else
What are the MSK axioms we need to know?
What are some other names for the superficial group of back musculature? What are the primary functions of this group?
How many layers of extrinsic back muscles are there? What innervates these layers?
What muscles make up the migratory back muscle group?
What muscles make up the intermediate group of back muscles? What is the primary purpose of these muscles? From what goups of arteries and nerves are these muscles vascularized/innervated?
What are some other names for the deep group of back musculature? What are the primary functions of this muscle group?
What group of nerves innervates the intrinsic back muscles? What arteries vascularize this group?
Facts to know about the thoracolumbar fascia
- It is a deep connective tissue membrane that extends throughout most of the posterior thorax and abdomen
- Consists of an anterior, middle, and posterior layer
- The anterior and middle layer insert onto the transverse processes of the vertebral column while the posterior layer insterts onto the tips of the spinous processes.
What group of nerves innervates the skin over the intrinsic muscles of the back?
The Dorsal rami
What is the triangle of auscultation? What forms this triangle?
The triangle of auscultation of the lungs is a relative thinning of the musculature of the back, situated along the medial border of the scapula.
It is bounded superiorly and medially by the inferior portion of the trapezius
It is bounded inferiorly by the latissimus dorsi
It is bounded laterally by the medial border of the scapula
What is the triangle of petit? What forms this triangle?
It is a triangular shaped thinning of muscles that is a common site of herniation. It is bounded inferiorly by the iliac crest, anteriorly by the external abdominal oblique muscle, and posteriorly by the latissimus dorsi. The floor of the triangle is formed by the internal oblique muscle.
