Anterior longitudinal ligament

Ligament: Anterior longitudinal ligament
Median sagittal section of two lumbar vertebræ and their ligaments. (Anterior longitudinal ligament runs vertically at center left.)
Anterior atlantoöccipital membrane and atlantoaxial ligament. (Anterior longitudinal ligament runs vertically at bottom center.)
Latin	ligamentum longitudinale anterius
Gray's	subject #72 288
From
To	Sacrum
Dorlands/Elsevier	l_09/12492521

The anterior longitudinal ligament is a ligament that runs down the anterior surface of the spine. It traverses all of the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs.

The ligament is thick and slightly more narrow over the vertebral bodies and thinner but slightly wider over the intervertebral discs which is much less pronounced than that seen in the posterior longitudinal ligament. The ligament actually has three layers: superficial, intermediate and deep. The superficial layer traverses 3 – 4 vertebrae, the intermediate layer covers 2 – 3 and the deep layer is only between individual vertebrae.

See also

• Posterior longitudinal ligament
• intervertebral disc

Additional images

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  Median sagittal section through the occipital bone and first three cervical vertebræ.

• 

  Costovertebral articulations. Anterior view.

External links

• Atlas of anatomy at UMich back_bone25 - "Vertebral Column, Dissection, Anterior & Posterior Views"
• 1127546937 at GPnotebook
• lesson7 at The Anatomy Lesson by Wesley Norman (Georgetown University)
• Diagram at spineuniverse.com

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