Neural-Dural Transition at the Thoracic and Lumbar Spinal Nerve Roots: A Histological Study of Human Late-Stage Fetuses

Figure 1

Thoracic nerve roots in a fetus with a crown-rump length (CRL) of 230 mm. (a) displays a posterior view of the thoracic spinal cord. In the right hand side of (a), a pleural space is seen between the ribs. (b), which corresponds to the square in (a), exhibits a sheath (arrows) of the right first thoracic nerve (rt T1). The sheath protrudes from the meningeal layer of the dura (dura) and continues to a thinner sheath (stars) around the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). (c), which corresponds to the other square in (a), shows a radicular artery (RA) running outside of a sheath (star) of the right eighth thoracic nerve (rt T8). Scale bars: 10 mm in (a), 1 mm in (b) and (c).

(a)

(b)

(c)