The fine structure of a lateral recess of the subarachnoid space in the rat

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Abstract
This study reports an electron microscopic investigation to the spinal meninges of the rat as they exist between the dorsal and ventral nerve roots in upper thoracic and cervical levels of the vertebral column. Between these roots, at a point where they penetrate the spinal dura, the leptomeninges are characterized by a histological pattern comparable to that elsewhere comprising the subarachnoid angle. However, this region is modified and possesses a number of heretofore unknown histological features. The most noteworthy is a lateral recess of the subarachnoid space.The meninges located between the nerve roots do not form a definite lateral boundary for the subarachnoid space. Here the subarachnoid space opens into a lateral recess which extends peripherally between the dorsal and ventral nerve roots. Conspicuous amounts of cellular debris are collected within the lateral recess. Numerous free macrophages congregate here. The lateral recess may be a communicating pathway between the central and peripheral nervous systems by way of the endoneurium of the nerve trunk.