Lecture 9 Lab

‫ مرتضى سامي‬.‫د‬
The vertebral column
• Is made up of 33 vertebrae: 7 cervical, 12 thoracic, 5 lumbar, 5 sacral
and 4 coccygeal.
• There are about 23 intervertebral discs starting from C2 (Cervical
vertebra #2) to S1 (Sacral vertebra #1).
A typical vertebra consists of:
1. A rounded body.
2.A vertebral arch, consists of four parts:
a. The right and left pedicles.
b. The right and left flattened laminae.
3.The vertebral foramen.

The vertebral arch gives rise to seven processes:

1.One spinous.
2.Two transverse.
3.Four articular.
Characteristics of a typical Cervical Vertebra:
•The transverse processes possess a transverse foramen.
•The spines are small and bifid.
•The body is small and broad.
•The vertebral foramen is large and triangular.
The 1st, 2nd, and 7th cervical vertebrae are atypical:
• The 1st cervical vertebra, or atlas, does not possess a body or a spinous
process. It has an anterior and posterior arch. Superiorly it articulates with
the occipital condyles forming (atlanto-occipital joints) and inferiorly
articulates with the axis forming (atlantoaxial joints).
• The 2nd cervical vertebra, or axis, has a peg like odontoid process (dens)
that projects from the superior surface of the body and serves as the pivot
about which the rotation of the head occurs.
• The 7th cervical vertebra, or vertebra prominens, is so named because it
has the longest spinous process which is not bifid.
Typical Thoracic Vertebra
Typical Lumbar Vertebra
Sacrum