Novel Full-Length Dissection of the Sympathetic Chain and Spinal Cord From T1-L1 in a Human Cadaver

Anatomical investigations of the sympathetic chain have traditionally relied on regionally limited or anterior evisceration-based dissections, restricting appreciation of its longitudinal organization and relationships to the spinal cord. To date, no human cadaveric study has demonstrated a continuous bilateral in situ dissection of the paravertebral sympathetic chain from T1 to L1 in continuity with the spinal cord. This technical report describes a novel, reproducible posterior cadaveric dissection that preserves the bilateral sympathetic trunks, paravertebral ganglia, interganglionic fibers, rami communicantes, and native vertebral relationships. A systematic posterior approach involving removal of posterior musculature, ribs, costovertebral and costotransverse joints, and controlled reduction of vertebral bodies enabled exposure of the spinal cord from the brainstem to the cauda equina while maintaining adjacent neural integrity. This uninterrupted preparation permits direct visualization of segmental and longitudinal sympathetic connectivity and offers a previously undescribed anatomical perspective of the thoracolumbar sympathetic system. The technique provides substantial educational value and has important implications for surgical planning and anatomical research.