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A Concise Introduction to the Imaging of the Lumbar Spine

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Surgery of the Spine and Spinal Cord

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Abstract

The normal lumbar spine consists of five vertebral bodies which constitute some kind of lordosis and which are, in normal cases, perfectly aligned by three major ligaments:

  • Anterior longitudinal ligament

  • Posterior longitudinal ligament

  • Ligamenta flava

The lumbar vertebrae enclose the spinal canal, which contains the thecal sac (enclosed by the dura mater) with the spinal cord, conus medullaris, cauda equina and cerebrospinal fluid. The thecal sac is surrounded by epidural fat and a venous plexus. In cross-section, the spinal canal is circular in the upper lumbar spine segments and triangular in the lower part of the lumbar spine.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Antwerp University Hospital & University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium

    Ken Carpentier MD, Lukasz Augsburg MD, Bruno De Potter MD, Johan W. M. Van Goethem MD, PhD & Paul M. Parizel MD, PhD

  2. Department of Medical and Molecular Imaging, AZ Nikolaas, Sint Niklaas, Belgium

    Johan W. M. Van Goethem MD, PhD

Authors
  1. Ken Carpentier MD
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  2. Lukasz Augsburg MD
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  3. Bruno De Potter MD
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  4. Johan W. M. Van Goethem MD, PhD
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  5. Paul M. Parizel MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ken Carpentier MD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Neurosurgery, AZ Nikolaas, Sint-Niklaas, Belgium

    Erik van de Kelft

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Carpentier, K., Augsburg, L., De Potter, B., Van Goethem, J.W.M., Parizel, P.M. (2016). A Concise Introduction to the Imaging of the Lumbar Spine. In: van de Kelft, E. (eds) Surgery of the Spine and Spinal Cord. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27613-7_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27613-7_21

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27611-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27613-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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