Anatomy of spinal CSF loss in the American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

A variety of anatomical techniques, imaging modalities, dyes and contrast agents, were used to document the mechanisms/routes whereby spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) would move beyond the confines of the spinal dura in the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis. Three pathways for CSF loss were identified: spinal arachnoid granulations, perineural flow along the spinal nerves, and lymphatic drainage (both along the surface of the dura and at the venous plexus surrounding the spinal ganglion). These same three pathways for spinal CSF loss have been documented in mammals, suggesting that they may be a common feature of (at least) amniotes. Crocodilians, including A. mississippiensis, have the largest epidural venous sinus system of any vertebrate, the present study suggests that, as in mammals, the venous complex of the alligator plays a direct role in regulating the absorption of CSF from the spinal compartment.