The anterior median fissure of the spinal cord has an average depth of about 3 mm, but this is increased in the lower part of the
spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue, which extends from the medulla oblongata in the brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone). The backbone encloses the central canal of the spi ...
.
It contains a double fold of
pia mater, and its floor is formed by a transverse band of
white matter
White matter refers to areas of the central nervous system (CNS) that are mainly made up of myelinated axons, also called tracts. Long thought to be passive tissue, white matter affects learning and brain functions, modulating the distribution ...
, the
anterior white commissure
The anterior white commissure (ventral white commissure) is a bundle of nerve fibers which cross the midline of the spinal cord just anterior (in front of) to the gray commissure (Rexed lamina X). A delta fibers (Aδ fibers) and C fibers carryin ...
, which is perforated by blood vessels on their way to or from the central part of the spinal cord.
The anterior median fissure provides a groove in which the anterior spinal artery sits. From here, it provides the anterior part of the spinal cord. It is sourced from the segmental medullary arteries and the segmental spinal arteries which are sourced from the intercostal arteries.
The anterior median fissure (AMF) 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.
Additional images
Image:Gray663.png, Diagrams of the medulla spinalis.
References
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
External links
* - "Medulla Oblongata, Anterior View"
Spinal cord
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