T7–T8 nucleus !
The nucleus pulposus is the soft, gel-like centre of the T7-T8 disc in the mid-back; it works like a water cushion that spreads the load.
Official name: T7-T8
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What it is
The soft, gel-like centre (nucleus pulposus) of the T7–T8 disc.
What it does
Works like a water cushion: it turns pressure from above into outward push on the fibre ring, spreading the load. It is under the most pressure when you bend forward and lift.
Key facts
- Where
- Centre of the T7–T8 disc, slightly toward the back, inside the annulus fibrosus
- Function
- Notochord-derived gel (about 70–90% water, proteoglycans); turns axial load into annulus tension; small in thin thoracic discs, herniation rare
Relations
- Behind
- Back of the annulus fibrosus and the posterior longitudinal ligament, then the spinal cord
On imaging
Gas in the nucleus space (vacuum phenomenon) on CT or a radiograph signals advanced degeneration rather than infection.
Common problems
- Squeezes out through a tear in the ring (herniation), usually backward and to one side, toward a nerve root.
- Loses water with age, so the disc gets thinner and stiffer.
How it is diagnosed
On MRI a healthy nucleus is bright on T2 images; a worn one turns dark ('black disc').
Treatment
- In a microdiscectomy only the loose piece that has pushed out is removed; most of the disc stays.
Clinical notes
- A lateral fragment reaches the T7 root, whose band follows the costal margin to just below the xiphoid; rib fractures and costochondral pain give similar band pain
- Diabetic truncal radiculopathy gives a similar band of pain, sometimes with a bulge of the abdominal wall; a normal MRI and nerve studies favour it over a disc
Development
As the bodies form around it, the notochord vanishes inside them but persists and swells between them, becoming the nucleus at T7–T8 as at every other disc.
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
How is the level of the T7–T8 nucleus estimated and confirmed?
Estimated from the inferior angle of the scapula (T7 spinous process), since no surface landmark reaches the nucleus, and confirmed by counting on imaging.
What does gas in the T7–T8 nucleus space (vacuum phenomenon) on CT or X-ray signal?
Advanced degeneration rather than infection.
What happens to the T7–T8 nucleus pulposus with age?
It loses water, so the disc becomes thinner and stiffer; on T2 MRI the bright nucleus turns dark.
Educational information, not medical advice. For any symptom, see a health professional.
Its names
- Official Latin (TA2)
- nucleus pulposus T7-T8 TA2 1686
- Official Spanish (DeCS)
- Núcleo pulposo T7-T8 DeCS D000070614
- English (TA2)
- T7-T8
Related
Sources: Terminologia Anatomica (TA2); DeCS; Anatomy, Back, Nucleus Pulposus; Anatomy, Back, Intervertebral Discs; 7.3 The Vertebral Column (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, CC BY 4.0; 7.5 Embryonic Development of the Axial Skeleton (OpenStax (Rice University), 2022) · adapted, CC BY 4.0.
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.
