Spinal Cord Flashcards
Spinal cord structure
- Runs through the vertebral canal
- foramen magnum –> L1-2
- 31 pairs of spinal nerves
Not uniform in diameter
- cervical enlargement
- lumbar enlargment
what/ where is the Conus medullaris?
tapered inferior end
what is the cauda equina?
lumbar & sacral nerve roots
Development of spinal cord: 8 weeks gestation
- root of first sacral nerve
- at S1
- spinal ganglion
Development of spinal cord: 14 weeks gestation
-conus medullaris forming
Development of spinal cord: Birth
- conus medullaris moves upwards
- filum terminale
Development of spinal cord: Adult
- conus medullaris now located at L1 vertebrae
- extended root of 1st sacral nerve
- extended filum terminale
- attachment of dura mater
Protective structures:
Vertebral column
- solid but felxible protective casing around cord
- intervertebral discs absorb shock
- transmits weight of trunk to lower limbs
- attachment points for ribs and muscles
Ligaments
e. g. ligamentum flavium
- limits potentially damaging movement of the spine
Meninges
-3 protective layers
(dura, arachnoid, pia)
-contains blood supply and CSF
-barrier for neurotoxic substances
CSF Cerebral Spinal Fluid
-nourishing fluid in which the cord is suspended
Segments
- 8 cervical segments (breathing, head and neck movements, heart rate, upper limb movements)
- 12 thoracic (sympathetic tone, trunk stability)
- 5 lumbar (lowe limb movements)
- 5 sacral (bowel and bladder)
- 1 coccygeal segments
Spinal column cross section
- diagram
- dorsal root ganglion
- subdural space
- epidural space
- meninges
Lingamentum Denticulum
- flat membrane formed from PIA MATER
- along midline between dorsal and ventral nerve roots
- laterally to adhere to the arachnoid and dura
- spinal cord is suspended in the middle of the dural sheath
- diagram
Arterial blood supply
- Anterior spinal artery
- Posterior spinal arteries
- Radicular arteries
Venous drainage
- Anterior &posterior median spinal veins in the midline
- ANTEROLATERAL and POSTEROLATERAL paired veins situated near the lines of attachment of the ventral and dorsal roots
- Anterior and Posterior RADICULAR veins
- Internal vertebral venous plexus in the epidural space
- External vertebral venous plexus
Circulation of CSF
- CSF is produced by the choroid plexus of each ventricle
- CSF flows through the ventricle and into the subarachnoid space via the median and lateral apertures. some CSF flows through the central canal of the spinal cord
- CSF flows through the subarachnoid space
- CSF is absorbed into the dural venous sinuses via the arachnoid villi.
Why would a Lumbar puncture be done?
-to obtain CSF from the subarachnoid space
Where would a lumbar puncture be done?
- midline between L3&L4
- between L4 &L5
- inferior to the spinal cord