Section of the Spinal Cord Showing Its Nerve Roots, Arteries, and Veins

Description

Centered in the section, the H-shaped gray matter forms prominent anterior (ventral) horns and slimmer posterior (dorsal) horns, bridged by the gray commissure around the central canal. A rim of white matter surrounds it, with anterior, lateral, and posterior funiculi separated by the anterior median fissure and posterior median sulcus. From the anterolateral and posterolateral sulci, ventral and dorsal rootlets converge into the ventral root and dorsal root, the latter continuous with a dorsal root ganglion just lateral to the cord before joining as a mixed spinal nerve. Segmental arteries course along the cord surface and contribute to longitudinal anterior and posterior spinal arteries, while accompanying veins drain into anterior and posterior spinal venous channels. This cross-sectional anatomy matters when you need to localize neurologic deficits to a specific spinal cord level and tract, then relate them to the vascular territories that fail in ischemia. Anterior spinal artery infarction selectively injures anterior horn cells and corticospinal and spinothalamic pathways while often sparing dorsal column modalities, a pattern that becomes obvious when you can see the ventral horn position and the anterior median fissure that marks the artery’s course. Nerve roots are the surgical and anesthetic road map. Use this illustration for neuroanatomy and spinal cord syndromes teaching, for neurosurgical or orthopedic spine texts explaining root compression versus intramedullary disease, and for radiology correlation when interpreting axial MRI (T2 cord signal change, central canal region, and peripheral white matter tracts). It also supports clinical education on radiculopathy, epidural anesthesia level selection, and vascular lesions such as dural arteriovenous fistula with congestive myelopathy. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.