The Anatomy Of The Vertebral Pedicle Of The Thoracic Vertebra

Description

Arising from the posterolateral margin of the thoracic vertebral body, the vertebral pedicle forms a stout osseous bridge to the posterior elements of the neural arch. The sequence tracks the pedicle from its proximal origin at the body toward its distal junction with the lamina and transverse process region, keeping the pedicle walls in profile as the vertebral foramen and spinal canal come into view posteriorly. As the camera or specimen rotates, the superior and inferior vertebral notches are clarified at the pedicle’s cranial and caudal borders, defining the intervertebral foramen with the adjacent vertebra. Pedicle anatomy drives safe instrumentation in the mid-back, where thoracic pedicle screws must pass through a narrow bony corridor while staying lateral to the spinal canal and medial to the costotransverse and rib head region. Small deviations matter. The animation format helps by showing how the pedicle’s axis relates to the vertebral body anteriorly and the posterior arch, and by making the boundaries of the pedicle isthmus and the notch-to-foramen relationship easier to read than a single static view. Use this clip in thoracic spine modules for gross anatomy and orthopaedics, in neurosurgical and spine surgery teaching on freehand pedicle screw trajectories, or in publisher content explaining why pedicle breach can produce radiculopathy via the intervertebral foramen or cord compromise via the canal. It also pairs well with CT-based education on pedicle width and angulation at different thoracic levels. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.