Dr. Carters Wichita State Gross Anatomy Class The Spinal Cord

Front 1

Where does the spinal cord begin?

Back 1

Foramen magnum

Front 2

Where does the spinal cord end?

Back 2

Level of L2 vertebrae

Front 3

Where does the spinal cord reside?

Back 3

It resides in the vertebral canal

Front 4

What does Dura Mater mean?

Back 4

Tough mother

Front 5

What layer is the Dura Mater?

Back 5

Outer layer of meninges

Front 6

The Arachnoid membrane is what layer?

Back 6

The middle layer of meniges

Front 7

What does the Arachnoid membrane look like?

Back 7

Fragile "film" like structure whose name indicates that it looks like a spiders web

Front 8

What does Pia Mater mean?

Back 8

tender mother

Front 9

What layer is the Pia Mater?

Back 9

The inner layer of meninges that intimately covers the entire surface of the spinal cord

Front 10

At the inferior end of the spinal cord what does the pia mater become?

Back 10

The Filum terminale which attaches to S2

Front 11

What does the Pia Mater extend laterally to become?

Back 11

Denticulate ligaments

Front 12

What region of the spinal cord are the denticulate ligaments housed?

Back 12

C1-T10

Front 13

Why is it necessary that the Pia mater anchors the spinal cord to the dura mater?

Back 13

To prevent excessive movement thus avoid injuries

Front 14

The Dorsal and Ventral nerves roots merge to become what?

Back 14

A spinal nerve

Front 15

What is the enlarged area of the spinal nerve that houses the sensory nerve cells?

Back 15

The dorsal root ganglion DRG

Front 16

What does Cauda Equina mean?

Back 16

Horses tail

Front 17

What is the termination of the spinal cord?

Back 17

Conus Medullaris

Front 18

What does the cauda equina consist of?

Back 18

Nerve roots which are associated primarily with the sacral and coccygeal segments of the spinal cord. Eventually these nerve roots will form their respective spinal nerves which will emerge at their appropriate vertebral levels

Front 19

What is the subarachnoid space?

Back 19

It is the space present between the pia mater and the arachnoid space.

Front 20

What does the subarachnoid space contain?

Back 20

Cerebral spinal fluid (CSF)

Front 21

How far does the subarachnoid space extend to?

Back 21

Extends to S2 vertebrae in the adult

Front 22

Where is the spinal cord located?

Back 22

In the vertebral canal

Front 23

How long is it?

Back 23

In the adult it extends from the foramen magnum and goes to L2 vertebrae. In a small child it extends to L3
In a 3 month fetus it extends to the coccyx therefore the spinal canal grows much more quickly than the spinal cord

Front 24

How long is it in adults?

Back 24

18 inches or 45 cm

Front 25

What are the two enlargements?

Back 25

Cervical enlargement and lumbar enlargement

Front 26

What do the two enlargements provide?

Back 26

The cervical enlargement provides the origin for nerves to the upper extremity and the Lumbar enlargement provides origin for nerves to lower extremity

Front 27

Name the two types of nerve rootlets

Back 27

Dorsal (posterior) rootlets
Ventral (anterior) rootlets

Front 28

Nerve rootlets converge to form what?

Back 28

Dorsal and ventral spinal nerves

Front 29

Spinal nerve rootlets converge to form what?

Back 29

Spinal nerves

Front 30

Cauda equina

Back 30

Is a collection of nerve roots streaming inferiorly below the conus medullaris

Front 31

The Arachnoid mater contains how many layers of tissue?

Back 31

2

Front 32

The outer layer of the arachnoid mater is what?

Back 32

Smooth and is in physical contact with the dura mater

Front 33

The inner layer of the arachnoid mater is like what?

Back 33

gives rise to fibers that pass to the pia mater, thereby traversing the subarachnoid space.
Extends inferiorly to the level of S2 vertebrae

Front 34

What horn of the spinal cord is larger?

Back 34

Ventral horn because there are many more efferent (motor) nerves in the enlarged area

Front 35

What is in the epidural space?

Back 35

Nerves, blood vessels, arteries and fat

Front 36

The dura mater and arachnoid mater extend to where?

Back 36

S2

Front 37

Where does the subarachnoid space extend from?

Back 37

The cranial cavity and goes to the level of S2 vertebrae
It is continueous with the cranial subarachnoid space

Front 38

The Dura Mater is continuous with what?

Back 38

The cranial dura mater

Front 39

In pathological situations the Dura Mater can be seperated from the arachnoid membrane to make what?

Back 39

The subdural space

Front 40

What is the subdural space?

Back 40

A pathological condition

Front 41

Why is the subdural space called a "potential space?"

Back 41

Since the dura mater is normally in contact with the arachnoid membrane no space is present; however, in pathological situations these two membranes can be seperated by fluid (blood) or a tumor located between the dura mater and arachnoid membrane

Front 42

The epidural space extends from where to where?

Back 42

Foramen magnum to Sacral canal

Front 43

Where is the epidural space located?

Back 43

Between spinal dura mater and vertebral canal

Front 44

The epidural space is an excellent location for what?

Back 44

Regional anesthesia such as an epidural

Front 45

When is an epidural shot usually given?

Back 45

Labor and delivery

Front 46

How many spinal nerves are there?

Back 46

31 pairs
8 cervical
12 thoracic
5 lumbar
5 sacral
1 coccygeal

Front 47

What is a dermatome?

Back 47

an area of skin innervated by one pair of spinal nerves

Front 48

What is the anterior spinal artery formed from?

Back 48

the union of two anterior spinal branches of the two vertebral arteries. It descends to the conus medullaris

Front 49

The posterior spinal arteries are branches of what?

Back 49

Vertebral arteries

Front 50

Who is smaller? The posterior or anterior spinal arteries?

Back 50

The posterior and they are connected across the midline

Front 51

Segmental spinal arteries enter the vertebral canal via what?

Back 51

The intervertebral foramina

Front 52

Cervical branches of the segmental spinal arteries originate from where?

Back 52

vertebral arteries,
thyrocervical trunk
costocervical trunck
Thoracic branches come from posterior intercostal arteries

Front 53

Where do the lumbar branches come from?

Back 53

Lumbar arteries

Front 54

What do the segmental arteries supply?

Back 54

vertebrae, intervertebral discs, contents of the epidural space and dura mater

Front 55

Artery of Adamkiewicz is what?

Back 55

The greater anterior medullary artery which reinforces circulation to the lumbar enlargement of the spinal cord. It is a unilateral artery at the lower thoracic or upper portion of the spinal cord on the left side

Front 56

What does the spinal cord drain to?

Back 56

a venous plexus (network) on the surface of the spinal cord, located in the subarachnoid space

Front 57

what does the surface venous plexus connect to?

Back 57

internal vertebral plexus located in the epidural space

Front 58

What does the internal venous plexus drain into?

Back 58

Drains via intervertebral veins to the external vertebral plexus, which surrounds the vertebral column

Front 59

Why can blood flow in any direction as influenced by gravity in vertebral venous plexuses?

Back 59

They have no functional valves

Front 60

What are Batson's veins?

Back 60

include both the external and internal vertebral venous plexuses, which connect the cranial cavity with venous plexuses in the pelvic cavity.

Front 61

Since vertebral plexuses have no functional valves what can happen?

Back 61

Metastic cells originating in the pelvic region can travel to the cranial cavity where secondary malignant tumors can develop

Front 62

The motor branch of the Dorsal primary ramus goes to what?

Back 62

The 3 true back muscles

Front 63

Motor branches of the ventral primary ramus goes to where?

Back 63

The rest of the body

Front 64

What is a ganglion?

Back 64

A cluster of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system

Front 65

The general somatic effernet neurons all go to what?

Back 65

Skeletal muscles!