Intervertebral Canals and Intracanal Ligaments as New Terms in Terminologia anatomica

This study addresses the cervical part of the vertebral column. Clinical pictures of dystrophic diseases of the cervical part of the vertebral column do not always correspond only to the morphological changes—they may be represented by connective tissue formation and nerve and vessel compression. To find out the possible reason, this morphometric study of the cervical part of the vertebral column in 40 cadavers was performed. CT scans were performed on 17 cadaveric material specimens. A total of 12 histological samples of connective tissue structures located in intervertebral canals (IC) were studied. One such formation, an intracanal ligament (IL) located in the IC, was found. Today, there is no term “intervertebral canal”, nor is there a detailed description of the intervertebral canal in the cervical part of the vertebral column. Cervical intervertebral canals make up five pairs in segments C2–C7. On cadavers, the IC lateral and medial apertures were 0.9–1.5 cm and 0.5–0.9 cm, correspondingly. According to our histological study, the connective tissue structures in the IC are ligaments—IL. According to the presence of these ligaments, ICs were classified into three types. Complete regional anatomy characterization of the IC of the cervical part of the vertebral column with a description of its constituent anatomical elements was provided. The findings demonstrate the need to include the terms “intervertebral canal” and “intervertebral ligament” in the Terminologia anatomica.