| spinal fluid | <neurology> A clear, colourless fluid that contains small quantities of glucose and protein. Cerebrospinal fluid fills the ventricles of the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord. Analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid can be accomplished using lumbar puncture. The presence of white blood cells or bacteria within the cerebrospinal fluid can indicate a bacterial infection (meningitis). Acronym: CSF (12 Jan 1998) |
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| spinal fractures | Broken bones in the vertebral column. (12 Dec 1998) |
| spinal fusion | A procedure that involves fusing together two or more vertebrae in the spine using either bone grafts or metal rods (Harrington rods). This procedure may be used to correct kyphosis or scoliosis. It is also used in those who require spine stabilisation due to vertebral damage from ruptures discs, fractures, osteomyelitis, osteoarthritis or tumour. (27 Sep 1997) |
| spinal ganglion | <anatomy> Enlargement of the dorsal root of the spinal cord containing cell bodies of afferent spinal neurons. Neural outgrowth from dorsal root ganglia has been studied extensively in vitro. (18 Nov 1997) |
| spinal headache | A headache that can occur after a lumbar puncture is performed. Patients who lie flat on their stomach for one hour immediately after lumbar puncture, followed by 12 hours on their back, have a decreased incidence of spinal headaches. (27 Sep 1997) |
| spinal induction | The manner in which one sensory stimulus lowers the threshold for another. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spinal injuries | Injuries involving the vertebral column. (12 Dec 1998) |
| spinal lemniscus | A large ascending fibre bundle in the ventral half of the lateral funiculus of the spinal cord, arising from cells in the posterior horn at all levels of the cord, which cross within their segments of origin in the white commissure. In their contralateral ascent, the bundle is intermingled with numerous intersegmental fibres. The spinothalamic tract continues from the spinal cord into the brainstem, occupying a ventrolateral position and issuing numerous fibres to the rhombencephalic and mesencephalic reticular formation, to the lateral part of the central gray substance of the mesencephalon, and to the deep and intermediate layers of the superior colliculus; the relatively few fibres (10 to 20%) that remain form the true spinothalamic tract which enters the diencephalon and ends in the nucleus ventralis posterior (caudal part) and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus. In its ascent in the spinal cord the tract is composed of a dorsal part, the lateral spinothalamic tract, which conveys impulses associated with pain and temperature sensation, and a more ventral part, the anterior spinsothalamic tract, involved in tactile sensation. Synonym: lemniscus spinalis, spinal lemniscus, tractus spinothalamicus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spinal length | A measurement from the distal surface of the embryo where the plane passes through the developing eye (this is the cranial limit of the spinal cord) down to the rump. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spinal marrow | <anatomy> Elongated, approximately cylindrical part of the central nervous system of vertebrates that lies in the vertebral canal and from which the spinal nerves emerge. (18 Nov 1997) |
| spinal muscle | <anatomy> The medial component of the erector spinae muscle; it is comprised of the spinalis capitis, spinalis cervicis, and spinalis thoracis muscles. Synonym: musculus spinalis, spinal muscle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spinal muscle of head | <anatomy> An inconstant extension of spinalis cervicis to the occipital bone, sometimes fusing with semispinalis capitis. Synonym: musculus spinalis capitis, biventer cervicis, spinal muscle of head. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spinal muscle of neck | <anatomy> An inconstant or rudimentary muscle; origin, spinous processes of sixth and seventh cervical vertebrae; insertion, spinous processes of axis and third cervical vertebra; action, extends cervical spine; nerve supply, dorsal primary rami of cervical. Synonym: musculus spinalis cervicis, musculus spinalis colli, spinal muscle of neck. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spinal muscle of thorax | <anatomy, muscle> Origin, spinous processes of upper lumbar and two lower thoracic vertebrae; insertion, spinous processes of middle and upper thoracic vertebrae; action, supports and extends vertebral column; nerve supply, dorsal primary rami of thoracic and upper lumbar. Synonym: musculus spinalis thoracis, musculus spinalis dorsi, spinal muscle of thorax. (05 Mar 2000) |
| spinal muscular atrophy | <radiology> 2nd most common autosomal recessive disease in Caucasians, pathology, degeneration of the spinal anterior horn cells, atrophy and wasting of skeletal muscles, types, SMA I = Werdnig-Hoffman disease: rapidly progressive, SMA II = intermediate form, SMA III = Kugelberg-Welander disease: slowly progressive, uncommon adult forms, usual presentations, floppy baby, arthrogryposis, muscle weakness in infancy, diagnosis, weakness and wasting with areflexia, electrophysiology shows anterior horm cell disease, genetics, linked to chromosome 5q., neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein (NAIP) gene, survival motor neuron (SMN) gene (12 Dec 1998) |