CT Lumbar Spine - Video Lesson

Hey everybody, welcome back. This lesson is about the lumbar spine as seen in CT imaging. We'll start with the axial plane. This is an axial view of the lumbar spine. All lumbar vertebrae have about the same shape and they all have the exact same features. We're at about the level of L3. This large anterior segment is called the body. This large opening is called the vertebral foramen. This is where the spinal cord passes through the vertebral column. The pedicles are short, round trunks that extend from the body on each side of the vertebrae. The pedicles form the lateral walls of the vertebral foramen. The laminae are a pair of flat plates that extend from the pedicles to form the posterior wall of the vertebral foramen. We can see the transverse processes extending from the vertebral arch. Finally, the spinous process is a bony projection extending posteriorly from the vertebral arch. Take note of some of the surrounding anatomy. At this level, we can see the psoa