6 Lumbar Spine Anatomy

6.2 Bony Anatomy (Fig. 6.1)

• Vertebral body:

– Cylindrically shaped and widest transversely.

• Vertebral foramen:

– Triangular spinal canal.

• Pedicles:

– Connect vertebral body to lamina.

– Directed posteriorly and located in the middle one-third of the transverse process.

• Transverse processes:

– Thin and long from L1 to L4.

– Large and cone-shaped at L5 due to iliolumbar ligament attachment to pelvic bones.

• Facet joints:

– L1–L4 facets are sagittally oriented to limit axial rotation.

– L5 facet is more coronal and resists anteroposterior movement.

– Prominent pars interarticularis.

• Lamina:

– Connect spinous process to pedicles.

• Spinous process:

– Broad and thick orientation.

Fig. 6.1 Bony anatomy of the lumbar vertebrae.

6.3 Ligamentous Anatomy (Fig. 6.2)

• Anterior longitudinal ligament:

– Located on the anterior surface of vertebral bodies.

– Functions include limiting spine extension and securing intervertebral disks.

• Posterior longitudinal ligament:

– Located on the posterior surface of vertebral bodies.

– Limits spine flexion and secures intervertebral disks.

Fig. 6.2 Ligamentous anatomy of the lumbar spine. (Reproduced with permission from Baaj AA, Mummaneni PV, Uribe JS, Vaccaro AR, Greenberg MS, eds. Handbook of Spine Surgery. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Thieme; 2016.)

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