The vertebral canal and spinal meninges (dave's notes) Flashcards
Describe the vertebral canal
A smooth walled tube
What is the anterior boundary of the vertebral canal?
The vertebral bodies, discs and posterior longitudinal ligament
What is the posterior boundary of the vertebral canal?
The vertebral laminae and the ligamentum flava
What is lateral to the vertebral canal?
The pedicles and the intervening spaces
What does the epidural space separate?
The boney walls from the contained meninges
What does the epidural space contain? Describe the vessels in this space and their clinical significance.
Fat and veins which form a plexus which bypasses the diaphragms. No valves exist so communication thus exists between vertebra, thyroid, breast, kidney and prostate.
What is the spinal dura? Where does it extend from and to?
A prolongation of the inner layer of the posterior cranial fossa dura from the foramen magnum to S2.
What pierces the spinal dura?
Pierced segmentally bo the anterior and posterior roots
Describe the spinal arachnoid space
Spinal arachnoid exists, with the subarachnoid space relatively large - 75-150mLs of CSF
What coats the CNS surface? What else does this form?
Spinal pia mater. A lateral projection on either side forms the denticulate ligament, projecting down as the film terminale.