S P I N A L C O R D B L O O D S U P P L Y
✅ Overview
Blood supply to the spinal cord. Spinal cord receives two sources of blood, the 2 posterior spinal arteries and the 1 anterior spinal artery. These arteries run along the spinal cord. The Anterior & Posterior spinal arteries are branches of different arteries which depend on the section of the spinal cord.
✅ Sections of Spinal Cord
Upper spinal cord: Ant. & Pos. Spinal Arteries arise from the vertebral artery, which is a branch of the subclavian artery.
Also arise from a branch of Subclavian artery called Ascending cervical artery.
Thoracic Spinal cord: Thoracic Aorta has branches called posterior intercostal arteries that give rise to the Ant. & Pos. Spinal Arteries.
Lower spinal cord: From the Lumbar artery, which is a branch of the Abdominal Aorta give off the Ant. & Pos. Spinal Arteries.
Also lateral sacral artery, which is a branch of the internal iliac artery.
Artery of Adamkiewicz: Important artery because it is the primary supply to the lower 2/3 of the spinal cord. Occlusion of this artery may result in paraplegia or other spinal cord syndromes.
✅ Clinical
Spinal Cord Infarction
*Can be also described as Spinal stroke. This is a death of nervous tissue because of an issue with the blood supply. r
*Signs include muscle weakness & paralysis with a loss of reflexes.
*Causes include vertebral fractures or dislocations, vasculitic disease, atheromatous disease, or abdominal tumors.
Remember 95% of spinal cord ischemic events are in the anterior aspect of the spinal cord,
Physiotherapist 