In
human anatomy
Human anatomy (gr. ἀνατομία, "dissection", from ἀνά, "up", and τέμνειν, "cut") is primarily the scientific study of the morphology of the human body. Anatomy is subdivided into gross anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross ...
, the artery of Adamkiewicz (also arteria radicularis magna) is the largest
anterior segmental medullary artery and the dominant segmental feeding vessel to the thoracic cord, supplying the anterior aspect of the cord (from T8 to the conus medullaris) via the anterior spinal artery.
It is a radiculomedullary artery arising from the spinal
dorsal
Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to:
* Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism
* Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage
The fus ...
branch of the segmental artery (posterior intercostal, subcostal, or lumbar artery), which in turn arises from the descending aorta. It typically arises from a 9th to 11th left
posterior intercostal artery,
enters through the L2-L3
intervertebral foramen to join the
anterior spinal artery and supply much of the inferior half of the
spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata in the lower brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone) of vertebrate animals. The center of the spinal c ...
.
The artery is named after pathologist
Albert Wojciech Adamkiewicz.
Nomenclature
The artery is generally eponymic, but it has several other names, including:
* great radicular artery of Adamkiewicz
* major anterior segmental medullary artery
* artery of the lumbar enlargement
* great anterior radiculomedullary artery
* great anterior segmental medullary artery
* great ventral radicular artery
Anatomy
The artery has a characteristic "hairpin" turn on the cord surface as it first courses superiorly, then turns inferiorly. In 75% of people, it originates on the left side of the aorta between the T8 and L1 vertebral segments. In addition to being able to be either right or left-sided, the vessel can arise from a
lumbar artery instead of from the aorta.
[
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.]
Clinical significance
The artery provides blood supply to the front two-thirds of the lumbar and sacral cord. When damaged or obstructed, it can result in a syndrome of spinal cord ischemia, similar to anterior spinal artery syndrome, 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 a loss of blood supply to the spinal cord.
In bronchial artery
In human anatomy, the bronchial arteries supply the lungs with oxygenated blood, and nutrition. Although there is much variation, there are usually two bronchial arteries that run to the left lung, and one to the right lung, and are a vital part o ...
embolization
Embolization refers to the passage and lodging of an embolus within the bloodstream. It may be of natural origin ( pathological), in which sense it is also called embolism, for example a pulmonary embolism; or it may be artificially induced ...
for treatment of massive lung bleeding, one of the most serious complications is to lose blood flow to the spinal cord caused by accidental closure of the artery of Adamkiewicz.
History
It is named for Albert Wojciech Adamkiewicz.
References
External links
*
*A video showing the Adamkiewicz artery can be seen here
AKA finding using OsiriX
{{DEFAULTSORT:Artery Of Adamkiewicz
Arteries