Zeroing in on Artery of Adamkiewicz for Safer Injections Medscape

Description: The current recommended approach in lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections (TF-ESI) is based on the concept of "the safe triangle," an anatomical target area that is supposed to avoid trauma to the exiting spinal nerve. In the upper lumbar regions (L3 and higher), there is a greater safety concern due to the presence of the artery of Adamkiewicz (AKA), a watershed vascular supply. In this article Murthy and colleagues reviewed the spinal angiograms from 248 patients over a 10-year period and documented the anatomical location of the AKA within the neuroforamen.
Zeroing in on 'Artery of Adamkiewicz' for Safer Injections Joseph K. Lee, MD (Medscape Summary of Intraforaminal Location of the Great Anterior Radiculomedullary Artery (Artery of Adamkiewicz): A Retrospective Review Murthy NS, Maus TP, Behrns CL Pain Med. 2010;11:1756-1764)