جامعة تكريت - كلية الطب البيطري - جامعة تكريت

Anatomical and topographical study on human neonate spinal cord

Sami Ibrahim Abdullah , Abdul-Jabbar J. Mahdi , Abdul-Kareem S. Mahood

College of Medicine , University of Tikrit , Tikrit , Iraq

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Abstract

The anatomical features of the human neonate spinal cord have been investigated.

In this study, twenty of neonate cadavers were collected from the Forensic Medicine Unit of Kirkuk and Tikrit Teaching Hospital between October (2012) to December (2013) on twenty Iraqi  males neonate cadavers with age ranging from 0-28 days to study the anatomical features of the neonate spinal cord .

The dissection and performs of laminectomy of the cadaver, the anatomical study revealed that the cord covered by three meninges from external to internal included dura, arachnoid and pia matters, which extends from inferior aspect of foramina magnum to the sacral region. After cut up the dura and arachnoid, the tubular and cylindrical neonate spinal cord was observed with whitish to yellowish color, extending from the lower border of foramina magnum and terminates mostly at level of third lumbar vertebrae (L3) and others ends at the level of (L4).

The spinal cord length was16.25 cm and divided into four different segments, the cervical cord forms (38.9)cm, thoracic part (78.7)cm, the lumbar part (26.5)cm and the sacral part (18.4)cm. The external surface of cord was consisted of the origin, of anterior and posterior nerve rootlets, present of the anterior median fissure and posterior median sulcus extends through the length of neonate spinal cord, the anterior spinal artery existing inside the anterior median fissure. Moreover, the external surface of spinal cord grossly not uniform it has two swelling called cervical and lumbosacral enlargements as well as the transverse and vertical dimensions were differ between the four segments.

The aim of the present study was to compare the findings of the neonate spinal cord with that of the adult spinal cord based on anatomical parameter.