The spinal cord Flashcards
What has to happen to view the spinal cord?
A laminectomy has to be carried out to expose the posterior surface
What is cut in a laminectomy
The dura mater to expose unerlying structures
What parts of the vertebrae have to be removed to open up the spinal canal?
Lamina and spinous process
What muscles overlie the lamina and spinous process?
L & R Erector spinae - & deep to them the transversospinales
What ligaments might be encountered in a laminectomy?
Supraspinous ligament, Interspinous ligament, & Ligamentum Flavum
What other structures apart from the spinal cord and the meninges lie in the spinal canal?
Anterior & Posterior Spinal arteries & veins – meninges – spinal nerve roots
At what vertberal level does the spinal cord terminate in adults?
L2
At what vertberal level does the spinal cord terminate in new borns?
L2/L3
At what vertebrae do the dura and arachnoid mater terminate?
S2
What happens to the pia mater inferior to the spinal cord?
Becomes the filum terminale
What occupies the space between the end of the spinal cord and the termination of the dura and arachnoid?
CSF
What is the clinical significance of the CSF beign lower than the end of the spinal cord?
Can sample CSF without damaging spinal cord
At what vertebral level would you perform a lumbar puncture on an adult
L3/4
How would you position the patient to gain access to the lumbar cistern and why?
Get them in left lateral position (if Doctor R handed) – curl in fetal position – maximum Lumbar flexion – to give as large a space as possible
How many pairs of spinal nerves are there?
31
Damage to a spinal nerve presents very differently to damage of the spinal cord.
Clinicians refer to the lesions of the spinal nerves after they leave the cord as lower motor neurone lesions.
What are upper motor and lower motor neurons?
The nerves that send messages to between the cerebral cortex & the spine are called upper motor neurons, & those that relay messages from the spinal cord to the muscles are called lower motor neurons.
Where are upper and lower motor neurons located?
Upper motor neurons originate in the cerebral cortex & travel down the brain stem or spinal cord – while the lower motor neurons begin in the spinal cord & go on to innervate the muscles etc around the body.
Is damage to the cauda equina classified as an upper or lower motor neurone lesion?
LMN lesion
