Bassett Collection of Stereoscopic Images of Human Anatomy

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Dissection of male pelvis from a lateral approach

Lumbosacral part of vertebral canal, opened and viewed from in front

Image #173-2

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Dissection of male pelvis from a lateral approach

Lumbosacral part of vertebral canal, opened and viewed from in front

The vertebral canal has been opened by grinding away parts of the bodies of the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum and the coccyx. Areolar connective tissue has been removed from the canal and many of the veins that formed the internal vertebral plexus have also been cut away. A fibrous band (7) extending from the dura to the posterior longitudinal ligament at the upper part of the sacral canal has been cut off. The intervertebral foramina have been opened on the left side. The left coccygeal nerve (36) is faintly visible, whereas the right coccygeal nerve is fused with the filum durae matris spinalis and therefore is not visible.

1 .	Intervertebral disc L. III-IV (pointer on anulus fibrosus)
2 .	Anterior longitudinal ligament
3 .	Body of vertebra L. III (partly resected)
4 .	Anterior internal vertebral venous plexus
5 .	Intervertebral disc L. IV-V (pointer on nucleus pulposus)
6 .	Spinal dura mater
7 .	Fibrous attachment of dura to posterior longitudinal ligament (cut off)
8 .	Sympathetic trunk
9 .	Upper pointer: Sacrum (corpus, resected) Lower pointer: Remnant of intervertebral disc S. I-lI
10 .	Iliopsoas muscle
11 .	Lateral sacral arteries
12 .	Femoral nerve
13 .	Sacral plexus
14 .	External iliac artery
15 .	Obturator nerve
16 .	Coccygeus muscle (posterior border of pelvic diaphragm)
17 .	Piriform muscle
18 .	Internal vertebral venous plexus
19 .	Transverse process vertebrae L. IV
20 .	Ligamentum flavum
21 .	Pedicle of arch of vertebra L. V (cut across)
22 .	Upper pointer: Spinal ganglion lumbar nerve V Lower pointer: Spinal branch iliolumbar artery
23 .	Lateral femoral cutaneous nerve
24 .	Obturator nerve
25 .	Femoral nerve
26 .	Ala of sacrum
27 .	Lumbosacral trunk
28 .	Sacral nerve I (in anterior (pelvic) sacral foramen)
29 .	Dural filum spinal cord (coccygeal nerves fused with this at lower level)
30 .	Sacral nerve II
31 .	Sacral canal (lined by periosteum)
32 .	Sacral nerve III
33 .	Sacral nerve IV
34 .	Sacral nerve V
35 .	Sympathetic trunk
36 .	Coccygeal nerve
37 .	Coccyx (covered by periosteum)