Summary ANATOMY NOTES COURSE - THE STRUCTURE OF A VERTEBRA

The structure of a vertebra
The vertebrae are irregular bones that build up the spinal column.
Basically each vertebra consists of 3 parts:
VERTEBRAL BODY located ventrally

VERTEBRAL ARCH located dorsally

PROCESSES that branches off from the vertebral arch

The vertebral bodies carry the weight of the body and therefore increase in size caudally.
They’re made up of trabecular bone, covered externally by a thin layer of compact bone.
The vertebral body, along with the vertebral arch, bound the vertebral foramen.
All vertebral foramens together form the vertebral canal, which contains the
spinal cord and its dura mater.

The vertebral arch begins with the pedicle, that is the narrowest part of the arch
due to the presence of the superior vertebral notch (on the superior margin)
and the inferior vertebral notch (on the inferior margin).
The distal part of the vertebral arch is formed by the vertebral arch lamina.
The right and left lamina, joining together, form the spinous process.

The notches of two approximal vertebrae form the intervertebral foramen.




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