| Prevertebral space | |
|---|---|
 Section of the neck at about the level of the sixth cervical vertebra. Showing the arrangement of the fascia coli. | |
 Sagittal section of nose mouth, pharynx, and larynx. | |
| Anatomical terminology |
Theprevertebral space is a space in the neck.
On one side it is bounded by theprevertebral fascia.[1]
On the other side, some sources define it as bounded by thevertebral bodies,[2] and others define it as bounded by thelongus colli.[1]
It includes theprevertebral muscles (longus colli andlongus capitis),vertebral artery,vertebral vein,scalene muscles,phrenic nerve and part of thebrachial plexus.[3]
In trauma, an increased thickness of the prevertebral space is a sign of injury, and can be measured withmedical imaging.[4]
On plain radiography, prevertebral space should be less than 6 mm at C3 vertebral level in children; while in adults, the space should be less than 6 mm at C2 level and less than 22 mm at C6 level. Causes of enlarged prevertebral space could be edema, hematoma, abscess, tumors, and post surgical changes.[5]
![CT scan with upper limits of the thickness of the prevertebral space at different levels.[4]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aCT_of_prevertebral_space.jpg)
