What is a transitional segment?

What is a transitional segment?

A transitional segment stresses the low back and causes instability of the spine. Note: A transitional segment places unusual stress on the spine which results in a disc herniation at the level above the segment. The herniation, then, causes symptoms of nerve root pain.

What does transitional vertebral body mean?

A transitional vertebra is one that has indeterminate characteristics and features of vertebrae from adjacent vertebral segments. They occur at the junction between spinal morphological segments: atlanto-occipital junction.

How common is a transitional vertebrae?

Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV) are a relatively common variant and can be seen in ~25% (range 15-35%) of the general population 1-3.

What does transitional spine mean?

“Transitional vertebra” is a fairly common spinal deformity, in which the lowest vertebrae of the spine, the fifth lumbar vertebra, is partially fused to the top of sacrum. This odd hybrid bone is not a proper lumbar vertebra, and certainly not a sacral segment either — thus, it is a “transitional” vertebra.

What is a transitional lumbosacral segment?

B, Coronal CT image shows bilateral osseous fusion of the transverse processes of L5 with the sacrum (Castellvi type IIIb). Nicholson et al32 described a decreased height on radiographs of the disk between a lumbar transitional segment and the sacrum compared with the normal disk height between L5 and S1.

What is a transitional segment in lumbar spine?

Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae (LSTV) are congenital spinal anomalies, in which an elongated transverse process of the last lumbar vertebra fuses with varying degree to the “first” sacral segment.

What does transitional lumbosacral segment mean?

What does a vertebral segment consist of?

Vertebral body is the thick oval segment of bone forming the front of the vertebra also called the centrum . The cavity of the vertebral body consists of cancellous bone tissue and is encircled by a protective layer of compact bone.

What is transitition vertebra at L1?

As the first vertebra in the lumbar region, the L1 vertebra bears the weight of the upper body and acts as a transition between the thoracic and lumbar vertebrae . The L1 vertebra is located in the spinal column of the lumbar (lower back) region inferior to the T12 vertebra and superior to the L2 vertebra.

What does 5 non rib bearing lumbar type vertebral bodies mean?

When a radiology report says there are five non rib bearing lumbar vertebral bodies seen, it means the xray is showing five vertebrae to which no rib is attached (usually your lower lumbar vertebrae which begin right above the sacrum ). L5 is considered a non rib bearing lumbar vertebrae.

How many vertebrae are in the neck?

There are seven cervical (neck) vertebrae, 12 thoracic (high back), five lumbar (low back), five sacral (near the base of the spine), and four coccygeal (at the base). The five sacral vertebrae are fused to form the sacrum , and the four coccygeal vertebrae are fused to form the coccyx .