Vertebral Structures

Question 1

What is the vertebral body?

Answer 1

Question 2

What is the vertebral foramen?

Answer 2

Question 3

What is the spinous process?

Answer 3

Question 4

What is the transverse process?

Answer 4

Question 5

What is the pedicle?

Answer 5

Question 6

What is the lamina?

Answer 6

Question 7

What is the superior articular processes?

Answer 7

Question 8

What is the inferior articular processes?

Answer 8

Question 9

What is the intervertebral foramen?

Answer 9

Question 10

What is the cervical vertebrae?

C1 - C7

Answer 10

Question 11

What is the transverse foramina?

Answer 11

Question 12

What is the thoracic vertebrae?

T1 - T12

Answer 12

Question 13

What are the dens/odontoid process of C2

Answer 13

Question 14

What are the lumbar vertebrae?

L1 - L5

Answer 14

Question 15

What is the sacrum?

Answer 15

Question 16

What is the sacral crest?

Answer 16

Question 17

What is the sacral foramina?

Answer 17

Question 18

What is the sacroiliac joint?

Answer 18

Question 19

What is the superior articulating surface

Answer 19

Question 20

What is the coccyx?

Answer 20

Question 21

Sternum

Answer 21

Question 22

manubrium

Answer 22

Question 23

suprasternal jugular notch

Answer 23

Question 24

clavicular notches

Answer 24

Question 25

body (gladiolus)

Answer 25

Question 26

What are the costal notches of the sternum

Answer 26

Question 27

Xiphoid Process

Answer 27

Question 28

What is the head of the rib?

Answer 28

Question 29

What is the neck of the rib?

Answer 29

Question 30

What is the tubercle of the rib?

Answer 30

Question 31

What is the shaft of the rib?

Answer 31

Question 33

What is the vertebral column?

Answer 33

• The vertebral column extends from teh skull to the pelvis and forms the vertical axis of the skeleton.
• Composed of many parts called vertebrae.
• Separated by masses of fibrocartilage called intervertebral discs, connected to each other by ligaments

Question 34

How many bones form the sacrum?

Question 35

How many bones form the coccyx?

Question 36

What is the function of intervertebral discs?

Question 37

What does the vertebral foramina form?

Answer 37

• The vertebral canal through which the spinal cord passes

Question 38

What is attached on the lower surfaces of the vertebral pedicles?

Answer 38

• Notches that align with adjacent vertebrae to help form openings called intervertebral foramina
• Provides passageways for spinal nerves

Question 40

What are the cervical vertebrae?

Question 41

What vertebrae has transverse foramina

Question 42

What is the function of the transverse foramina?

Question 43

What does the two facets on the superior surface of the atlas vertebrae articulate with?

Answer 43

• occipital condyles
• Helps to hold the head up

Question 44

What cervical vertebrae contains dens?

Answer 44

• The axis vertebrae
• Allows the atlas to pivot around the dens

Question 45

What are the general characteristics of thoracic vertebrae?

Answer 45

• 12 thoracic vertebrae
• Larger than cervical region
• Transverse processes project posteriously at sharp angles
• Each vertebra has a long, pointed spinous process, which slopes downards
• Thoracic vertebrae except for T11 - T12, have two costal facets that articulate with ribs
• One costal facet articulates with the rib tubercle, the second costal facet articulates with the rib head

Question 47

What are the general characteristics of the lumbar vertebrae?

Answer 47

• There are 5 lumbar vertebrae
• Support the most weight and have larger and stronger bodies
• Thinner transverse vertebrae project laterally/ spinous processes are short and thick and are nearly horizontal

Question 49

What are the general characteristics of the sacrum?

Answer 49

• The sacrum is a triangular structure at the base of the vertebral column
• Composed of five vertebrae that develop separately but then fuse together between ages of eighteen and thirty
• The spinous processes of these fused bones form a ridge of tubercles called the median sacral crest.
• Nerve and blood vessels pass thru rows of openings called the posterior scaral foramina –> located at the sides of the tubercles

Question 50

What are the general characteristics of the coccyx?

Answer 50

• the coccyx forms the tailbone and is the lowest part of the vertebral column and is typically composed of four vertebrae that fuse between the ages of twenty five and thirty

Question 51

What are the special features of the cervical vertebrae?

Question 52

What are the special features of the lumbar vertebrae?

Answer 52

• Large bodies
• Thinner transverse processes that project laterally
• Short, thick spinous processes that project posterioly nearly horizontal

Question 53

What are the special features of the sacrum?

Answer 53

• Posterior sacral foramina
• Auricular surfaces
• Sacral promontory
• Sacral canal
• sacral hiatus
• Anterior sacral foramina

Question 54

What are the special features of the thoracic vertebrae?

Question 55

What are the special features of the coccyx?

Answer 55

• Attached by ligaments to the margins of the sacral hiatus

Question 57

Describe a typical vertebrae

Answer 57

A thick anterior dum shaped portion of a vertebra is called the body.

Pedicles extend posteriorly from the body, and flattened laminae continue posteriorly from the pedicles

The laminae fuse in back to form the spinous process.

The rounded vertebral foramen is formed by the vertebral arch (pedicles + laminae + spinous process) and the body of the vertebra

The transverse processes extend laterally between the pedicles and the laminae

The superior and inferior articular processes extend upward and downward from the vertebral arch to form joints with adjacent vertebrae

The lower surfaces of the pedicles are notched to help form the intervertebral foramina