A Section of the Spinal Cord Showing the Veins

Description

Centered in the section, the butterfly-shaped substantia grisea forms broad anterior (ventral) horns and slender posterior (dorsal) horns, surrounded circumferentially by the funiculi of substantia alba. Blue venous channels course on the pial surface and send penetrating venules radially inward toward the central gray matter, paralleling the expected intramedullary drainage toward the region of the canalis centralis. Laterally, paired rootlets emerge from the anterolateral and posterolateral sulci, consistent with ventral and dorsal roots, and sit adjacent to the perimedullary venous plexus. Venous outflow of the spinal cord is a frequent blind spot in teaching, yet it matters when you interpret spinal vascular disorders or plan exposure around the cord. This arrangement supports discussion of how intramedullary veins drain to the pial venous network and then to radicular veins that communicate with the internal vertebral venous plexus, a valveless pathway implicated in venous congestion myelopathy and in the spread of infection or metastasis along Batson’s plexus. Small vessels, big consequences. Use this plate in neuroanatomy and neurovascular teaching to pair gray and white matter landmarks with real drainage pathways, or in neurosurgery and interventional radiology materials covering spinal dural arteriovenous fistula, venous hypertensive myelopathy, and the rationale for targeting a single draining radicular vein. It also fits well in medical textbook chapters on spinal cord blood supply alongside the anterior spinal artery and posterior spinal arteries for contrast between arterial territories and venous egress. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.