A discussion I prepared on the anatomy of the spine for my anesthesia rotation during clerkship. It looks at the spine from an anesthesiologist's perspective and how it relates to spinal and epidural anesthesia.
11. What is
injected?
Where is it
injected?
What is
affected?
Dose?
Spinal Local
Anesthetic
CSF Cord Small
Epidural Epidural space Nerve
Roots
Large
There are key differences between
spinal and epidural anesthesia
Anterior spinal artery from vertebral artery. Supplies anterior 2/3. Posterior spinal arteries arise from posterior inferior cerebellar arteries and provide posterior 1/3.
Adamkiewicz/arteria radicularis magna provides anterior lower 2/3s of the cord. Injury results to an anterior spinal artery syndrome.
In spinal anesthesia, the cord is bathed in CSF and local anesthetic. The cord
In epidural anesthesia, the epidural space is infiltrated. The nerve roots, rather than the cord, are affected.
In epidural anesthesia, the epidural space is infiltrated. The nerve roots, rather than the cord, are affected.