The spinal cord is a collection of nerve tissue extending from the caudal aspect of the brainstem to the lumbar region of the spinal canal. It terminates at approximately the level of the L2 vertebral body as the conus medullaris. Together with the brain, it comprises the central nervous system (CNS). The spinal cord has various functions, which include: conveying afferent, sensory information from the peripheral nervous system to the brain; transmitting signals from the motor cortex of the brain to the periphery; and serving as the center of reflex responses.
Arterial supply to the spinal cord is vital to supplement the high metabolic requirements of this nervous tissue. The vasculature has a certain degree of variability, although common features and structures exist. It includes vasculature lying directly superficial to the cord that courses longitudinally along the structure and radicular arteries that supply the cord transversely in a segmental fashion.
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