الفهرس 
Anatomy of the Vertebral ColumnOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Acute cervical spinal injury accounts for one third to a half of total spinal cord injuries. The incidence of cervical spine injury varies in different countries but in the western world it is reported to be around 1.5%-4%. In adults, the most susceptible areas of injury include C5-C7and the thoracolumbar junction, T12-L1, areas of the vertebral column with the greatest mobility.
Neurological dysfunction following traumatic spinal cord injury is a result of both initial (primary) mechanical insult and ongoing (secondary) processes that disrupt normal cord anatomy and function.
(A) The primary traumatic insult: may cause cord transection, compression, laceration, shear, or distraction that disrupts neuronal and glial architecture.
(B) The secondary: cascade of biochemical, pathological and immunological events occur in the period of hours to days following initial injury and may propagate the spinal cord injury caudally or rostrally, this explains why some patients with acute spinal cord injury may experience neurological deterioration in the acute post injury period.
Management of SCI is directed toward limiting secondary injury and maximizing neurologic recovery. This may be achieved surgically by relieving or preventing compression of neural structures and medically by optimizing cord perfusion and oxygenation.
The primary anesthetic goals for patients with acute spinal cord injury are to ensure the adequacy of oxygenation and ventilation by securing the airway with an endotracheal tube and to maintain spinal cord perfusion pressure.