Theintervertebral foramen (alsoneural foramen) (often abbreviated asIV foramen orIVF) is an opening between (the intervertebral notches of[1]) twopedicles (one above and one below) of adjacent vertebra in the articulated spine.[2]: 424, 425 Each intervertebral foramen gives passage to aspinal nerve and spinal blood vessels, and lodges aposterior (dorsal) root ganglion.[2]: 425 Cervical,thoracic, andlumbar vertebrae all have intervertebral foramina.[citation needed]
| Intervertebral foramen | |
|---|---|
 Peculiar thoracic vertebrae. Intervertebral foramina are indicated by arrows. | |
 Sacrum, pelvic surface. (The two columns of four holes are the intervertebral foramina of sacrum, visible but not labeled.) | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | foramen intervertebrale (pl. foramina intervertebralia) |
| TA98 | A02.2.01.008 |
| TA2 | 1019 |
| FMA | 75346 |
| Anatomical terms of bone | |
Anatomy
editStructure
editIn the thoracic region and lumbar region, each vertebral foramen is additionally bounded anteriorly by (the inferior portion of) the body of vertebra (particularly in the thoracic region) and adjacentintervertebral disc (particularly in the lumbar region).[2]: 425
In the cervical region, a small part of the body of vertebra inferior to the intervertebral disc also forms the anterior boundary of the IVF (due to the fact that the junction of the pedicle with the body of vertebra is situated somewhat more inferiorly on the body).[2]: 425
Contents
editA number of structures pass through the IVF:spinal nerveroots, arecurrent meningeal nerve,[3]radicular arteries (where present),[4][2]: 492–493 segmental medullary arteries (where present),[4]intervertebral veins,[5] andlymphatic vessels.[3]
Theposterior (dorsal) root ganglion is situated within the IVF.[2]: 425 The adipose tissue of the spinalepidural space extends into the IVF. The spinal dura mater extends laterally with each departing spinal nerve, reaching into the IVF.[2]: 453 Transforaminal ligaments (when present) extend through the IFV.[3]
Clinical significance
editForamina can be occluded byarthritic degenerative changes and space-occupying lesions liketumors,metastases, andspinal disc herniations.[citation needed]
Projectional radiograph of a man presenting with pain by thenape and left shoulder, showing a stenosis of the left intervertebral foramen ofcervical spinal nerve 4 due to age-related degenerative changes, corresponding with the affecteddermatome
References
edit
This article incorporates text in thepublic domain frompage 96 of the 20th edition ofGray's Anatomy(1918)
- ^"incisura vertebralis".TheFreeDictionary.com. RetrievedAugust 3, 2023.
- ^abcdefgSinnatamby CS (2011).Last's Anatomy (12th ed.). Elsevier Australia.ISBN 978-0-7295-3752-0.
- ^abcUmeh R, Fisahn C, Burgess B, Iwanaga J, Moisi M, Oskouian RJ, Tubbs RS (October 2016)."Transforaminal Ligaments of the Lumbar Spine: A Comprehensive Review".Cureus.8 (10): e811.doi:10.7759/cureus.811.PMC 6706257.PMID 31463168.
- ^abWaschke, Jens; Böckers, Tobias M.; Paulsen, Friedrich; Arnold, Wolfgang; Bechmann, Ingo, eds. (2018).Sobotta Anatomy Textbook: English Edition with Latin Nomenclature (1st ed.). München: Elsevier. p. 623.ISBN 978-0-7020-6760-0.
- ^Gray H (1918).Gray's Anatomy (20th ed.). p. 669.
External links
edit- "Anatomy diagram: 06363.008-2".Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator. Elsevier. Archived fromthe original on September 16, 2013.
- skeleton2/intervertebralforamen Photo of model at Waynesburg College
