Neurológia pre prax 4/2009

Topographic-anatomic relations of the spine, spinal cord, and spinal nerves; significance for clinical practice

The complexity of the topographic relations of the spine, spinal cord, and spinal nerves is a result of the incongruous growth of the spine and the spinal cord, the growth of which is retarded from the third month of embryonic development. The spinal cord only extends to the upper portion of the lumbar spine and the spinal nerves run obliquely down the spinal canal. Those spinal cord segments that were originally situated at the level of the corresponding vertebrae are located above the vertebral bodies. From the level of the second lumbar vertebra down the spinal canal, only spinal roots are found resembling a horse's tail (cauda equina) in appearance. In contrast to the intracranium, the morphology of the epidural space and of venous drainage is different.

Keywords: topography, spine, spinal cord, spinal nerves.