Artery of Adamkiewicz

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Artery of Adamkiewicz
Artery of Adamkiewicz CT scan OsiriX.jpg
Coronal slab volume rendering image of CT aortography shows artery of Adamkiewicz entering spinal canal(arrowheads) and joining the anterior spinal artery (arrows) after a hairpin turn.
Details
Source Abdominal aorta, posterior intercostal artery
Branches Anterior spinal artery [1]
Supplies Lumbar enlargement of lower spinal cord [2]
Identifiers
Latin rami spinales arteriae vertebralis
TA2 4536
Anatomical terminology

In human anatomy, the artery of Adamkiewicz (also arteria radicularis magna) is the largest anterior segmental medullary artery. [3] It typically arises from a left posterior intercostal artery at the level of the 9th to 12th intercostal artery, which branches from the aorta, and supplies the lower two-thirds of the spinal cord via the anterior spinal artery. [4]

Contents

The artery is named after Albert Wojciech Adamkiewicz (August 11, 1850 – October 31, 1921), a Polish pathologist born in Żerków. It has several other names, including:

Structure

The blood supply of the spinal cord is complex and highly variable. [9] In a study of approximately 70 people that examined the spinal cord's blood supply it was found that: [4]

  1. The Adamkiewicz artery sometimes arises from a lumbar vessel.
  2. In approximately 30% of people it arises from the right side.
  3. One quarter of people have two large anterior segmental medullary arteries.

In 75% of people, the artery of Adamkiewicz originates on the left side of the aorta between the T8 and L1 vertebral segments. [10]

In an extensive literature review, recognition of the AKA using CT and/or MR was achieved in 466 of 555 cases (83.96%) and in 384 (83.3%) cases the AKA originated from a left intercostal artery. [11]

Clinical significance

"Great radicular artery of Adamkiewicz… provides the major blood supply to the lumbar and sacral cord." [12]

When damaged or obstructed, it can result in a syndrome of spinal cord ischemia, similar to anterior spinal artery syndrome, [13] with loss of urinary and fecal continence and impaired motor function of the legs; sensory function is often preserved to a degree.

It is important to identify the location of the artery when surgically treating an aortic aneurysm to prevent damage which would result in insufficient blood supply to the spinal cord. [14] In bronchial artery embolization for treatment of massive hemoptysis, one of the most serious complications is inadvertent occlusion of the artery of Adamkiewicz. [15] Its location can be identified with computed tomographic angiography. [16]

History

It is named for Albert Wojciech Adamkiewicz. [17] [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumbar spinal stenosis</span> Medical condition of the spine

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aortic aneurysm</span> Excessive enlargement of the human aorta

An aortic aneurysm is an enlargement (dilatation) of the aorta to greater than 1.5 times normal size. They usually cause no symptoms except when ruptured. Occasionally, there may be abdominal, back, or leg pain. The prevalence of abdominal aortic aneurysm ("AAA") has been reported to range from 2 to 12% and is found in about 8% of men more than 65 years of age. The mortality rate attributable to AAA is about 15,000 per year in the United States and 6,000 to 8,000 per year in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Between 2001 and 2006, there were approximately 230,000 AAA surgical repairs performed on Medicare patients in the United States.

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Spondylosis is the degeneration of the vertebral column from any cause. In the more narrow sense it refers to spinal osteoarthritis, the age-related degeneration of the spinal column, which is the most common cause of spondylosis. The degenerative process in osteoarthritis chiefly affects the vertebral bodies, the neural foramina and the facet joints. If severe, it may cause pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots with subsequent sensory or motor disturbances, such as pain, paresthesia, imbalance, and muscle weakness in the limbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anterior spinal artery</span> Blood vessel in the front of the spinal cord

In human anatomy, the anterior spinal artery is the artery that supplies the anterior portion of the spinal cord. It arises from branches of the vertebral arteries and courses along the anterior aspect of the spinal cord. It is reinforced by several contributory arteries, especially the artery of Adamkiewicz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Conus medullaris</span> Lower part of the spinal cord

The conus medullaris or conus terminalis is the tapered, lower end of the spinal cord. It occurs near lumbar vertebral levels 1 (L1) and 2 (L2), occasionally lower. The upper end of the conus medullaris is usually not well defined, however, its corresponding spinal cord segments are usually S1–S5.

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Anterior spinal artery syndrome is syndrome caused by ischemia of the area supplied by the anterior spinal artery, resulting in loss of function of the anterior two-thirds of the spinal cord. The region affected includes the descending corticospinal tract, ascending spinothalamic tract, and autonomic fibers. It is characterized by a corresponding loss of motor function, loss of pain and temperature sensation, and hypotension.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albert Wojciech Adamkiewicz</span> Polish pathologist

Albert Wojciech Adamkiewicz was a Polish pathologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Segmental medullary artery</span>

Segmental medullary arteries are arteries of varying size in the thoracolumbar region that arise from segmental arteries of this region and pass through intervertebral foramina to supply the spinal cord. They may join the anterior spinal artery.

Vascular myelopathy refers to an abnormality of the spinal cord in regard to its blood supply. The blood supply is complicated and supplied by two major vessel groups: the posterior spinal arteries and the anterior spinal arteries—of which the Artery of Adamkiewicz is the largest. Both the posterior and anterior spinal arteries run the entire length of the spinal cord and receive anastomotic (conjoined) vessels in many places. The anterior spinal artery has a less efficient supply of blood and is therefore more susceptible to vascular disease. Whilst atherosclerosis of spinal arteries is rare, necrosis in the anterior artery can be caused by disease in vessels originating from the segmental arteries such as atheroma or aortic dissection.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spinal cord</span> Long, tubular central nervous system structure in the vertebral column

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Spinal cord stroke is a rare type of stroke with compromised blood flow to any region of spinal cord owing to occlusion or bleeding, leading to irreversible neuronal death. It can be classified into two types, ischaemia and haemorrhage, in which the former accounts for 86% of all cases, a pattern similar to cerebral stroke. The disease is either arisen spontaneously from aortic illnesses or postoperatively. It deprives patients of motor function or sensory function, and sometimes both. Infarction usually occurs in regions perfused by anterior spinal artery, which spans the anterior two-thirds of spinal cord. Preventions of the disease include decreasing the risk factors and maintaining enough spinal cord perfusion pressure during and after the operation. The process of diagnosing the ischemic and hemorrhagic spinal cord stroke includes applying different MRI protocols and CT scan. Treatments for spinal cord stroke are mainly determined by the symptoms and the causes of the disease. For example, antiplatelet and corticosteroids might be used to reduce the risk of blood clots in ischaemic spinal stroke patients, while rapid surgical decompression is applied to minimize neurological injuries in haemorrhagic spinal stroke patients instead. Patients may spend years for rehabilitation after the spinal cord stroke.

References

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  2. Milen, Mark T.; Bloom, David A.; Culligan, J.; Murasko, K. (1999). "Albert Adamkiewicz (1850-1921) - his artery and its significance for the retroperitoneal surgeon" (PDF). World Journal of Urology. 17 (3): 168–70. doi:10.1007/s003450050126. hdl: 2027.42/42166 . PMID   10418091.
  3. Moore, Keith; Anne Agur (2007). Essential Clinical Anatomy, Third Edition. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 298. ISBN   978-0-7817-6274-8.
  4. 1 2 Takase, K.; Sawamura, Y.; Igarashi, K.; Chiba, Y.; Haga, K.; Saito, H.; Takahashi, S. (2002). "Demonstration of the Artery of Adamkiewicz at Multi- Detector Row Helical CT". Radiology. 223 (1): 39–45. doi:10.1148/radiol.2231010513. PMID   11930046.
  5. Luyendijk W, Cohn B, Rejger V, Vielvoye GJ (1988). "The great radicular artery of Adamkiewicz in man. Demonstration of a possibility to predict its functional territory". Acta Neurochirurgica. 95 (3–4): 143–6. doi:10.1007/bf01790776. PMID   3228004.
  6. Biondi, Alessandra; Ricciardia, Giuseppe K.; Faillot, Tierry; Capelle, Laurent; Van Effenterre, Rémy; Chiras, Jacques (2005). "Hemangioblastomas of the lower spinal region: report of four cases with preoperative embolization and review of the literature". AJNR. 26 (4): 936–45. PMID   15814949.
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  8. Greathouse, David G.; Halle, John S.; Dalley, Arthur F. (2001). "Blood supply to the spinal cord". Physical Therapy. 81 (6): 1264–5. doi: 10.1093/ptj/81.6.1264 . PMID   11380281.
  9. Melissano, G.; Civilini, E.; Bertoglio, L.; Calliari, F.; Campos Moraes Amato, A.; Chiesa, R. (2010). "Angio-CT Imaging of the Spinal Cord Vascularisation: A Pictorial Essay". European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 39 (4): 436–40. doi: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2009.11.026 . PMID   20034815.
  10. Lazorthes, Guy; Gouaze, Andrè; Zadeh, Jean O.; Jacques Santini, Jean; Lazorthes, Yves; Burdin, Phillipe (1971). "Arterial vascularization of the spinal cord". Journal of Neurosurgery. 35 (3): 253–62. doi:10.3171/jns.1971.35.3.0253. PMID   22046635. S2CID   1899816.
  11. Melissano, G.; Bertoglio, L.; Civelli, V.; Moraes Amato, A.C.; Coppi, G.; Civilini, E.; Calori, G.; De Cobelli, F.; et al. (2009). "Demonstration of the Adamkiewicz Artery by Multidetector Computed Tomography Angiography Analysed with the Open-Source Software OsiriX". European Journal of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery. 37 (4): 395–400. doi: 10.1016/j.ejvs.2008.12.022 . PMID   19230726.
  12. Blumenfeld, Hal (2010). Neuroanatomy Through Clinical Cases (2nd ed.). Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Associates. ISBN   978-0-87893-058-6.[ page needed ]
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  14. Yoshioka, K.; Niinuma, H.; Ohira, A.; Nasu, K.; Kawakami, T.; Sasaki, M.; Kawazoe, K. (2003). "MR Angiography and CT Angiography of the Artery of Adamkiewicz: Noninvasive Preoperative Assessment of Thoracoabdominal Aortic Aneurysm". Radiographics. 23 (5): 1215–25. doi:10.1148/rg.235025031. PMID   12975511.
  15. Lopez, January; Lee, Hsin-Yi (2006). "Bronchial Artery Embolization for Treatment of Life-Threatening Hemoptysis". Seminars in Interventional Radiology. 23 (3): 223–229. doi:10.1055/s-2006-948759. ISSN   0739-9529. PMC   3036375 . PMID   21326768.
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  17. Adamkiewicz AA (1882). "Die Blutgefässe des menschlichen Rückenmarkes. II. Die Gefässe der Rückenmarksoberfläche". Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Classe. 85: 101–30.
  18. synd/2233 at Who Named It?
  19. Kowalczyk, J (2002). "Albert Wojciech Adamkiewicz and his artery". South African Medical Journal. 92 (9): 702. PMID   12382351.