| Denticulate ligaments | |
|---|---|
 The medulla spinalis and its membranes. (Ligamentum denticulatum labeled vertically at bottom left.) | |
 Diagrammatic transverse section of the medulla spinalis and its membranes. (Denticulate ligament not labeled, but region is visible.) | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | ligamentum denticulatum |
| TA98 | A14.1.01.310 |
| TA2 | 5411 |
| FMA | 71245 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Denticulate ligaments (also known as dentate ligaments) are lateral projections of the spinal pia mater[1] forming triangular-shaped ligaments that anchor the spinal cord along its length to the dura mater on each side.[2] There are usually 21 denticulate ligaments on each side, with the uppermost pair occurring just below the foramen magnum, and the lowest pair occurring between spinal nerve roots of T12 and L1.[1] The denticulate ligaments are traditionally believed to provide stability for the spinal cord against motion within the vertebral column.[citation needed]
Their tooth-like appearance originates the word which derives from Latin denticulatus, from denticulus (meaning ‘small tooth’).[3]
- ^ a b Sinnatamby, Chummy (2011). Last's Anatomy (12th ed.). p. 453. ISBN 978-0-7295-3752-0.
- ^ Carpenter, Malcolm (1984). Core text of neuroanatomy (3rd ed.). Williams & Wilkins. p. 2. ISBN 978-0683014556.
- ^ Denticulate. (n.d.) The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary. (2007). Retrieved March 8, 2021 from [1]