Intervertebral foramen

Not to be confused with Vertebral foramen or vertebral canal.

The intervertebral foramen (also neural foramen) (often abbreviated as IV foramen or IVF) is an opening between (the intervertebral notches of^[1]) two pedicles (one above and one below) of adjacent vertebra in the articulated spine.^{[2]: 424, 425} Each intervertebral foramen gives passage to a spinal nerve and spinal blood vessels, and lodges a posterior (dorsal) root ganglion.^[2]: 425 Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae all have intervertebral foramina.^{[citation needed]}

Intervertebral foramen
Peculiar thoracic vertebrae. Intervertebral foramina are indicated by arrows.
Sacrum, pelvic surface. (The two columns of four holes are the intervertebral foramina of sacrum, visible but not labeled.)
Details
Identifiers
Latin	foramen intervertebrale (pl. foramina intervertebralia)
TA98	A02.2.01.008
TA2	1019
FMA	75346
Anatomical terms of bone [edit on Wikidata]

Anatomy

Structure

In the thoracic region and lumbar region, each vertebral foramen is additionally bounded anteriorly by (the inferior portion of) the body of vertebra (particularly in the thoracic region) and adjacent intervertebral disc (particularly in the lumbar region).^[2]: 425

In the cervical region, a small part of the body of vertebra inferior to the intervertebral disc also forms the anterior boundary of the IVF (due to the fact that the junction of the pedicle with the body of vertebra is situated somewhat more inferiorly on the body).^[2]: 425

Contents

A number of structures pass through the IVF: spinal nerve roots, a recurrent meningeal nerve,^[3] radicular arteries (where present),^{[4][2]: 492–493} segmental medullary arteries (where present),^[4] intervertebral veins,^[5] and lymphatic vessels.^[3]

The posterior (dorsal) root ganglion is situated within the IVF.^[2]: 425 The adipose tissue of the spinal epidural space extends into the IVF. The spinal dura mater extends laterally with each departing spinal nerve, reaching into the IVF.^[2]: 453 Transforaminal ligaments (when present) extend through the IFV.^[3]

Clinical significance

Foramina can be occluded by arthritic degenerative changes and space-occupying lesions like tumors, metastases, and spinal disc herniations.^{[citation needed]}

• 
  Projectional radiograph of a man presenting with pain by the nape and left shoulder, showing a stenosis of the left intervertebral foramen of cervical spinal nerve 4 due to age-related degenerative changes, corresponding with the affected dermatome