Question
A 45-year-old man is brought to the emergency department by ambulance after a motor vehicle collision. He is not responsive to verbal commands and is unable to provide any history. His pulse is 108/min and regular. Physical examination shows ecchymosis over the neck and back. Neurological examination indicates damage to the spinal cord at the level shown in the illustration. This patient’s injury is most likely located at which of the following levels of the spinal cord?
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Correct Answer � D
Explanation
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Answer D) T6
The illustration shows a segment of the spinal cord that contains prominent lateral projections between the dorsal and ventral horns. These projections are lateral horns, which contain neuronal cell bodies of the sympathetic nervous system.
T6
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Cross-sections of the spinal cord show butterfly-shaped gray matter with surrounding white matter. Gray matter contains the cell bodies of neurons; white matter contains the axons of neurons as they travel between the brain and the rest of the body.
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In general, gray matter is divided into three regions: dorsal horns, ventral horns, and lateral horns.
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Dorsal and ventral horns are found throughout the spinal cord.
Though lateral horns are present between segments T1–L3 and segments S2–S4, only segments T1–L3 have the prominent lateral projections between the dorsal and ventral horns as seen in the illustration. Thus, this patient’s injury must be located within these segments.
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