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The cauda equina (from Latin tail of horse) is a bundle of spinal nerves and spinal nerve rootlets, consisting of the second through fifth lumbar nerve pairs, the first through fifth sacral nerve pairs, and the coccygeal nerve, all of which arise from the lumbar enlargement and the conus medullaris of the spinal cord. The cauda equina occupies ...
Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a condition that occurs when the bundle of nerves below the end of the spinal cord known as the cauda equina is damaged. [2] Signs and symptoms include low back pain, pain that radiates down the leg, numbness around the anus, and loss of bowel or bladder control. [1] Onset may be rapid or gradual. [1]
The cauda equina forms because the spinal cord stops growing in length at about age four, even though the vertebral column continues to lengthen until adulthood. This results in sacral spinal nerves originating in the upper lumbar region. For that reason, the spinal cord occupies only two-thirds of the vertebral canal.
The thecal sac or dural sac is the membranous sheath (theca) or tube of dura mater that surrounds the spinal cord and the cauda equina.The thecal sac contains the cerebrospinal fluid which provides nutrients and buoyancy to the spinal cord. [1]
The filum terminale is situated centrally [2] amid the spinal nerve roots of the cauda equina [3] [2] (but is not itself a part of the cauda equina [2]).. The inferior-most spinal nerve, the coccygeal nerve, leaves the spinal cord at the level of the conus medullaris via respective vertebrae through their intervertebral foramina, superior to the filum terminale.
Cauda equina syndrome is a rare syndrome that affects the spinal nerves in the region of the lower back called the cauda equine (Latin for "horses tail"). Injury to the cauda equina can have long lasting ramifications for the individual.
Cauda equina syndrome may also be caused by central disc prolapse or slipped disc, infections such as epidural abscess, spinal haemorrhages, secondary to medical procedures and birth abnormalities. [38] Cauda equina syndrome (CES) results from a lesion below the level at which the spinal cord ends.
Decompression of the spinal cord or cauda equina [ edit ] Laminectomy is an open or minimally invasive surgical procedure in which a portion of the posterior arch of the vertebrae and/or spinal ligaments is removed from the spine to alleviate the pressure on the spinal canal contents.