A section of the human vertebral column, showing multiple vertebrae in a left posterolateral view.
Details
Part of
Spinal column
Identifiers
Latin
vertebra
TA98
A02.2.01.001
TA2
1011
FMA
9914
Anatomical terms of bone
[edit on Wikidata]
Each vertebra (pl.: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column or spine, of vertebrates. The proportions of the vertebrae differ according to their spinal segment and the particular species.
The basic configuration of a vertebra varies; the bone is the body, and the central part of the body
is the centrum. The upper and lower surfaces of the vertebra body give attachment to the intervertebral discs. The posterior part of a vertebra forms a vertebral arch, in eleven parts, consisting of two pedicles (pedicle of vertebral arch), two laminae, and seven processes. The laminae give attachment to the ligamenta flava (ligaments of the spine). There are vertebral notches formed from the shape of the pedicles, which form the intervertebral foramina when the vertebrae articulate. These foramina are the entry and exit conduits for the spinal nerves. The body of the vertebra and the vertebral arch form the vertebral foramen, the larger, central opening that accommodates the spinal canal, which encloses and protects the spinal cord.
Vertebrae articulate with each other to give strength and flexibility to the spinal column, and the shape at their back and front aspects determines the range of movement. Structurally, vertebrae are essentially alike across the vertebrate species, with the greatest difference seen between an aquatic animal and other vertebrate animals. As such, vertebrates take their name from the vertebrae that compose the vertebral column.
Each vertebra (pl.: vertebrae) is an irregular bone with a complex structure composed of bone and some hyaline cartilage, that make up the vertebral column...
thoracic vertebra is larger than the first thoracic vertebra The thoracic spinal nerve 3 (T3) passes out underneath it. The fourth thoracic vertebra, together...
In tetrapods, cervical vertebrae (sg.: vertebra) are the vertebrae of the neck, immediately below the skull. Truncal vertebrae (divided into thoracic and...
vertebrae. The fifth vertebra contains certain peculiarities, which are detailed below. As with other vertebrae, each lumbar vertebra consists of a vertebral...
A limbus vertebra is a bone tubercle formed by bone trauma on a vertebral body, bearing a radiographic similarity to a vertebral fracture. The anterior-superior...
Codfish vertebra refers to the biconcave appearance of the vertebra in sagittal radiographs due to pathological changes, such as demineralisation. Codfish...
sacroiliac joints. The upper part of the sacrum connects with the last lumbar vertebra (L5), and its lower part with the coccyx (tailbone) via the sacral and...
special vertebrae are the atlas and axis, on which the head rests. A typical vertebra consists of two parts: the vertebral body (or centrum), which is ventral...
compression fracture is a collapse of a vertebra. It may be due to trauma or due to a weakening of the vertebra (compare with burst fracture). This weakening...
processes. The first segment is the largest; it resembles the lowest sacral vertebra, and often exists as a separate piece; the remaining ones diminish in size...
'yoke' + apophysis) of a vertebra is a projection of the vertebra that serves the purpose of fitting with an adjacent vertebra. The actual region of contact...
Sandwich vertebral body is a radiologic sign where the endplates of the vertebra are sclerotic, giving it the appearance of a sandwich. This sign is seen...
Spondylolisthesis is the displacement of one spinal vertebra compared to another. While some medical dictionaries define spondylolisthesis specifically...
posterior displacement of one vertebral body with respect to the subjacent vertebra to a degree less than a luxation (dislocation). Retrolistheses are most...
A laminectomy is a surgical procedure that removes a portion of a vertebra called the lamina, which is the roof of the spinal canal. It is a major spine...
inferior costal facet on the vertebra above, and the larger region articulates with the superior costal facet on the vertebra with the same number. The transverse...
a typical vertebra, the vertebral foramen is the foramen (opening) of a vertebra bounded ventrally/anteriorly by the body of the vertebra, and the dorsally/posteriorly...
other Eastern Bloc countries thanks to his book Neljäs nikama (The Fourth Vertebra). Larni was the fourth of the nine children of master painter Johan Viktor...
first vertebra). Thus the cervical nerves are numbered by the vertebra below, except spinal nerve C8, which exists below vertebra C7 and above vertebra T1...
parts of the skull and humerus. Additional specimens, including a neck vertebra, were later placed in the genus, representing a range of sizes. The largest...
and continues through to the conus medullaris near the second lumbar vertebra before terminating in a fibrous extension known as the filum terminale...
cervical vertebra may be abbreviated as "C4", at the level of the fourth thoracic vertebra "T4", and at the level of the third lumbar vertebra "L3". Because...
vertebrae, however it can also be seen in cervical vertebrae. The lumbar vertebra consist of a body, pedicle, lamina, pars interarticularis, transverse process...
touches the lower limit of the spleen. It corresponds to the first lumbar vertebra behind. The second line is the subcostal line, drawn from the lowest point...
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