Posterior Spinal Arteries in a Transparent Body, Posterior View

Description

Arising as paired longitudinal vessels, the posterior spinal arteries descend along the dorsolateral surface of the spinal cord in the lumbar region, running on either side of the posterior median sulcus and paralleling the dorsal root entry zones. Small transverse arterioles and pial branches course medially across the dorsal cord and laterally toward the dorsal roots, creating a symmetric segmental pattern. Behind them, the semi-transparent lumbar vertebral arches and spinous processes frame the vertebral canal, with intervertebral discs stacked inferior to superior between adjacent vertebral bodies. Spinal nerves are suggested exiting laterally through the intervertebral foramina. For teaching spinal cord perfusion, a posterior view clarifies what the posterior spinal circulation actually supplies: the dorsal columns and dorsal horns, rather than the ventral two thirds dominated by the anterior spinal artery. Clinically, this matters in posterior spinal artery infarction, which can present with loss of vibration and proprioception and sensory ataxia, and in posterior epidural procedures where understanding the dorsal midline, laminae, and canal relationships helps avoid vascular and neural injury. The transparent body style also supports discussion of radiculomedullary contributions and why lumbar segments rely on variable anastomoses. Neuroanatomy and gross anatomy courses can pair this plate with cross-sections to connect surface vessels to tract-level deficits, while neurosurgery and anesthesiology teaching files can use it when explaining lumbar laminectomy corridors, epidural steroid injection anatomy, or vascular complications in the dorsal canal. Medical publishers will find it well suited for chapters on spinal vasculature, spinal stroke syndromes, and lumbar spine anatomy in an adult male reference. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.