Bassett Collection of Stereoscopic Images of Human Anatomy

Collection Home

Arteries of vertebral column of one

Year-old infant - Arteries within cervical part of vertebral canal of mid thoracic region, posterior view

Image #211-4

KEYWORDS: Bones joints cartilage, Cervical region, Thoracic region, Vasculature, Vertebral column.

Creative Commons

Stanford holds the copyright to the David L. Bassett anatomical images and has assigned Creative Commons license Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International to all of the images.

For additional information regarding use and permissions, please contact Dr. Drew Bourn at dbourn@stanford.edu.

Arteries of vertebral column of one

Year-old infant - Arteries within cervical part of vertebral canal of mid thoracic region, posterior view

The pedicles of the thoracic vertebrae have been cut across to open the vertebral canal and the intervertebral foamina. The posterior intercostal arteries (3) give off spinal and dorsal branches opposite the intervertebral foramina. Variations in the manner of origin of those branches from different intercostal arteries are evident. In this preparation the course and distribution of the spinal branches of several intercostal arteries may be traced except for branches that were distributed to the laminae which have been cut away. The arteries to the bodies of the vertebrae communicate superiorly and inferiorly with neighboring vessels and across the midline with their fellows of the opposite side.

1 .	Junction between ossification centers of body and neural arch
2 .	Intervertebral foramen (opened)
3 .	Posterior intercostal artery VI
4 .	Dorsal branch posterior intercostal artery VI
5 .	Spinal branch posterior intercostal artery VI
6 .	Radicular branch of spinal branch posterior intercostal artery
7 .	Branch of spinal branch to vertebral body
8 .	Spinal branch posterior intercostal artery VII (inferior branch passing downward to communicate with a superior branch from the eighth intercostal artery)
9 .	Radicular branch of posterior intercostal artery VIII (note variation in size of this and the radicular branch at level of sixth vertebra)
10 .	Spinal branch posterior intercostal artery VIII (branch arching upward to communicate with seventh intercostal artery medial to pedicle of vertebra)
11 .	Intervertebral disc Th. IV - V
12 .	Body of vertebra Th. V (pointer on nutrient foramen)
13 .	Communicating arch between opposite spinal branches of intercostal arteries
14 .	Pedicle (arch of vertebra) Th. VI
15 .	Anterior spinal artery