Ligamenta flava

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Ligamenta flava
laminae of adjacent vertebrae
Identifiers
Latinligamenta flava (singular: ligamentum flavum)
MeSHD017843
TA98A03.2.01.003
TA21675
FMA76816
Anatomical terminology]

The ligamenta flava (sg.: ligamentum flavum, Latin for yellow ligament) are a series of

laminae of adjacent vertebrae. They help to preserve upright posture, preventing hyperflexion, and ensuring that the vertebral column straightens after flexion. Hypertrophy can cause spinal stenosis
.

They appear yellowish in colour due to their high elastic fibre content.[1]

Anatomy

Each ligamentum flavum connects the

lumbar vertebra and the sacrum.[2][3]

In the

thoracic region, and thickest in the lumbar region. They are thinnest between the atlas bone (C1) and the axis bone (C2), and may be absent in some people. They become longer inferiorly in the cervical spine, as the distance between adjacent laminae increases.[2]

They are best seen from the interior of the

lamina of the vertebral arch.[citation needed
]

Structure

Each ligament consists of two

spinous process; the posterior margins of the two portions are in contact and to a certain extent united, slight intervals being left for the passage of small vessels.[citation needed] Small veins that form anastomotic connections between the internal and external vertebral venous plexuses may bass between a pair of the ligaments.[1]

H: Ligamenta flava

Function

The ligamenta flava become stretched with flexion of the spine.

flexion. The elastin, fairly unique to the ligamenta flava among other ligaments,[2] prevents buckling of the ligament into the spinal canal during extension, which would cause spinal cord compression
.

Clinical significance

Because these ligaments lie in the posterior part of the

vertebral canal, their hypertrophy can cause spinal stenosis, particularly in patients with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis.[4] The ligamenta flava may also become fatty or calcify during ageing.[2] These cause degeneration of elastin.[2] Some studies indicate that the hypertrophy of these ligaments may be linked to a fibrotic process associated with increased collagen VI, which could represent an adaptive and reparative process in response to the rupture of elastic fibers.[5][6]

Epidural

During an epidural, the needle has to be inserted into the spinal space through a ligamentum flavum. Once it passes through, this is felt as a decrease in the pressure requited to further advance the needle.[7] This makes the ligamentum flavum an important landmark to overcome to ensure proper needle placement.[7]

Removal

During a microdiscectomy, a procedure to remove part of an intervertebral disc that is pressing on the spinal nerves, the ligamenta flava may need to be removed or reshaped.[8] A hook can be placed underneath a ligamentum flavum to ensure it is separated from the dura mater.[8]

References

Public domain This article incorporates text in the public domain from page 290 of the 20th edition of Gray's Anatomy (1918)

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7295-3752-0
    .
  2. ^
    OCLC 830314791
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4160-6257-8
    .
  4. S2CID 28914604
    .
  5. S2CID 22514146
    .
  6. S2CID 22529392
    .
  7. ^
    OCLC 430052082
    .
  8. ^
    OCLC 805164028
    .

External links
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