Anterior median fissure of spinal cord

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Anterior median fissure of spinal cord
A spinal nerve with its anterior and posterior roots.
Transverse section of the spinal cord in the mid-thoracic region.
Details
Identifiers
Latinfissura mediana anterior medullae spinalis
TA98A14.1.02.007
TA26053
FMA83735
Anatomical terminology

The anterior median fissure of the spinal cord is a deep midline groove of the anterior/ventral spinal cord.[1]: 486  It divides the white matter of the anterior spinal cord nearly in two.[1]: 487  The spinal pia mater extends into the fissure to line the surfaces of the spinal cord.[1]: 453 

Anatomy[edit]

It has an average depth of about 3 mm, but this is increased in the lower part of the spinal cord. It contains a double fold of pia mater. Its floor is formed by a transverse band of white matter - the anterior white commissure - which is perforated by blood vessels on their way to or from the central part of the spinal cord.[citation needed]

Relations[edit]

The anterior median fissure provides a groove in which the anterior spinal artery sits.[citation needed]

Clinical significance[edit]

Imaging[edit]

The anterior median fissure may be identified on computerized tomography (CT) myelograms, but more commonly on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. The AMF has a characteristic appearance on MRI scans that differs from the MRI appearance of the central canal.[citation needed]

Additional images[edit]

References[edit]

Public domain This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 752 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

Tomsick T, Peak E, Wang L: Fluid-Signal Structures in the Cervical Spinal Cord on MRI: Anterior Median Fissure vs. Central Canal. AJNR 2017; 38:840–45

Oichi Y, Hanakita J, Takahashi T, Minami M, Kawakoa T, et al.: Morphological patterns of the anterior median fissure in the cervical spinal cord evaluated by computed tomography after myelography. Neurospine 2018; 15:388-393

Tomsick T, Wang L, Zuccarello M, Ringer AJ. Fluid-signal structures in the cervical spinal cord on MRI in Chiari patients: Central canal or anterior median fissure? AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2021 Apr;42(4):801-806. doi: 10.3174/ajnr.A7046. Epub 2021 Mar 11.PMID 33707286

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Sinnatamby, Chummy S. (2011). Last's Anatomy (12th ed.). ISBN 978-0-7295-3752-0.

External links[edit]

  • Atlas image: n2a5p1 at the University of Michigan Health System - "Medulla Oblongata, Anterior View"