CT Spinal Cord & Spinal Nerves - Video Lesson

Hey everybody, welcome back. This lesson is about the spinal cord and spinal nerves as seen in CT imaging. We'll start in the axial plane. CT is not the preferred imaging modality for the spinal cord and spinal nerves. MRI is much better at demonstrating this anatomy. However, it's still somewhat common to use CT myelography to visualize the integrity of the spinal canal when MRI is contraindicated. We're at the level of T12. In this scan, the cavity surrounding the spinal cord is bright white because iodinated contrast media has been injected into the subarachnoid space. This cavity can also be called the thecal sac. Injection into this space is called an intrathecal injection. Opacifying the subarachnoid space allows us to see the spinal cord and the spinal nerves within the spinal canal. At this level, we can see several spinal nerves inside of the thecal sac and a pair of spinal nerves preparing to exit the spinal canal by way of the intervertebral