Corpus: Lumbosacral plexus

The term lumbosacral plexus refers to a nerve plexus in the lumbosacral region of domestic mammals. It corresponds to the lumbosacral plexus in humans.

The lumbosacral plexus is a fusion of the ventral branches (rami ventrales) of two independent nerve plexuses that are functionally closely connected:

• Lumbar plexus (L1 to L6 or L7)
• sacral plexus (L6 or L7 to SW1)

Morphology[Bearbeiten]

The ventral branches of the lumbar nerves, some of which are very strong, connect to form a plexus that lies ventrolateral to the spinal column as the lumbar plexus (plexus lumbalis). The ventral rami emerging through the foramina sacralia ventralia or between the last sacral and first caudal vertebrae form the sacral plexus with the ventral branch of the last lumbar nerve.

Both nerve plexuses are directly connected to each other and are summarised as the lumbosacral plexus.

When forming both nerve plexuses, the individual relationships between the individual animal species must be taken into account. At the same time, there are sometimes large inter-individual differences, so that the actual spinal nerves involved must always be determined separately for each animal.

Innervation[Bearbeiten]

The branches arising from the lumbosacral plexus innervate the muscles of the abdominal wall, the pelvis and the hind limbs.

• Nickel, Richard, August Schummer, Eugen Seiferle. Volume IV: Nervous system. Textbook of the anatomy of domestic animals. Parey, 2004.