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Clinically applied anatomy of the vertebral column

Bazira, Peter J.

Authors

Profile image of Peter Bazira

Professor Peter Bazira P.Bazira@hull.ac.uk
HYMS Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning; Director of the Centre for Anatomical and Human Sciences



Abstract

The vertebral column (spinal column, spine, or backbone) forms the central axis of the body's skeleton. It supports the skull superiorly and participates in the formation of the pelvis inferiorly. The vertebral column comprises the following five regions in cephalocaudal sequence: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral and coccygeal. The vertebral column contains the spinal cord within the vertebral canal, protecting the spinal cord from external trauma. Optimal medical and surgical management of spinal disease is crucially dependent on accurate clinical and radiological diagnosis, which in turn, are reliant on a sound understanding of the structural and functional anatomy of the vertebral column. In this article a general description of the articulated vertebral column is followed by a description of the morphology of representative vertebrae from the vertebral regions.

Citation

Bazira, P. J. (2021). Clinically applied anatomy of the vertebral column. Surgery (Oxford), 39(6), 315-323. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mpsur.2021.04.004

Journal Article Type Review
Acceptance Date Mar 30, 2021
Online Publication Date May 12, 2021
Publication Date Jun 1, 2021
Deposit Date Apr 25, 2022
Journal Surgery (United Kingdom)
Print ISSN 0263-9319
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Not Peer Reviewed
Volume 39
Issue 6
Pages 315-323
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mpsur.2021.04.004
Keywords Disc herniation; Intervertebral disc; Lamina; Pedicle; Spinal ligaments; Spinal motion segment; Vertebra; Vertebral canal; Zygapophyseal joint
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3772756