Transparent Blood Vessels of the Spinal Cord, Gross Anatomy

Description

Running within the vertebral canal, the spinal cord is paired with its longitudinal arterial supply, including the anterior spinal artery on the ventral midline and paired posterior spinal arteries along the dorsolateral sulci. Segmental medullary and radicular arteries enter laterally through the intervertebral foramina, tracking with the spinal nerve roots before joining the pial network (vasocorona) that wraps the cord. Semi-transparent vertebral bodies, pedicles, laminae, and spinous processes frame the cord, while blue-highlighted spinal nerves and their dorsal and ventral roots branch laterally in segmental order. Relationships read cleanly: vascular inflow arrives from the lateral aspect, then redistributes longitudinally cranio-caudally along the cord surface. Clinically, the entry points of segmental medullary arteries matter because spinal cord perfusion depends on a small number of dominant feeders, most famously the great anterior segmental medullary artery (artery of Adamkiewicz), which commonly enters on the left between T9 and L2. Miss that vessel during thoracoabdominal aortic repair, extensive endovascular stenting, or segmental artery ligation and the anterior two thirds of the cord can infarct, producing acute anterior spinal artery syndrome with bilateral motor weakness and loss of pain and temperature below the lesion. Small vessels, big consequences. Use this artwork in neuroanatomy and gross anatomy teaching to link vertebral levels, nerve root exit patterns, and the vascular territories of the spinal cord, or in surgical and interventional radiology texts discussing aortic cross-clamping, radiculomedullary supply, and risk of postoperative paraplegia. It also supports patient-facing education on why spinal cord ischemia can follow vascular procedures even when the spine itself is not directly operated on. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.