By convention, axial or "cross-sectional" images are oriented such that the patient is lying supine and you are viewing from the feet. As you have seen in prior T2-weighted images, CSF/fat are bright and ligamentous structures are dark. Soft tissue structures are varying shades of gray. This image is from the lower thoracic region.

Identify the following:

1. vertebral body

2. spinous process

3. right facet joint

4. ligamentum flavum

5. paraspinal muscles

6. spinal cord

7. right ventral nerve rootlets

8. left dorsal nerve rootlets