Question

These ventral spinal rootlets are more prone to injury during decompressive operations because they are shorter and exit in a more horizontal direction:

• A. C5
• B. C6
• C. C7
• D. T1

Hint:

C5 has the shortest, most horizontal ventral root, making it the classic root injured after cervical decompression.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

After surgery to relieve pressure on the cervical spinal cord, one specific nerve root is injured far more often than the rest, causing shoulder and upper arm weakness afterward. The question is asking which root that is and why.

1. C5: its ventral rootlet is shorter than the others and leaves the spinal cord at a more horizontal angle. When the cord shifts back after decompression, this short, flat root gets stretched the most, which is why C5 palsy is the classic and most common nerve injury after this type of surgery.
2. C6: has a longer course and a steeper exit angle than C5, so it tolerates cord shift better and is injured far less often.
3. C7: travels an even longer, more angled course, and injury here is uncommon.
4. T1: exits well below the area of most cord shift after cervical decompression and is rarely affected.

The short length and horizontal exit angle of the C5 root is the anatomic reason it gets tethered and stretched when the cord drifts backward, so it is the answer, even though some older question keys also accept C6.

Let's summarize:

• A short, horizontal nerve root stretches more when the spinal cord shifts.
• C5 has this anatomy and is the most common site of postoperative palsy after cervical decompression.

So the correct answer is C5.