Henk van Mameren; Toon FM Boselie; Jan T Wilmink; Paul C Willems; Henk van Santbrink & Rob A de Bie

Head and cervical spine movements cause narrowing or widening of neuroforamina. In healthy individuals these movements do not cause symptoms of radiculopathy. This implies a compensating volume-regulating mechanism of the neuroforamina. Such a mechanism has been postulated in the years before CT and MRI for the neuroforaminal veins. Dural sac indentations with emptying and refilling of the internal vertebral venous plexus (IVVP) were postulated in the lumbar region using myelography. Emptying of the IVVP occurs in the lumbar spine when moving towards maximal extension and refilling while moving towards maximal flexion. Such indentations have not been shown in the cervical region. With MRI this mechanism has been demonstrated during axial rotation in the C1-C2 segment. It consists of emptying and refilling of the IVVP and thus prevents dural sac compression. During spinal surgery, the IVVP and connecting neuroforaminal veins may be damaged. Because the clinical implications of dysfunction of this protecting mechanism of the IVVP and its neuroforaminal venous connections are not clear, the consequences of such damage are unknown. Therefore, these venous structures should be examined by studying the cervical spine in supine position and, if possible, in different postures (flexion, extension and axial rotation) using MRI with contrast-enhancement and fat suppression. These images may be a basis for future advancement of clinical care.

KEY WORDS: Anatomy; Cervical neuroforaminal veins; Myelography.

VAN MAMEREN, H.; BOSELIE, T. F. M; WILMINK, J. T.; WILLEMS, P. C.; SANTBRINK, H. V. & DE BIE, R. A. The mechanism of volume regulation by cervical neuroforaminal veins as previously was demonstrated for the internal vertebral venous plexus (IVVP) in the cervical and lumbar region. Int. J. Morphol., 42(3):685-691, 2024.