Relationship of Chinese lumbar spine morphometry with lumbar vertebral canal stenosis
Jia, B.L.; Xie, Y.C.; Jiang, D.F.; Huang, Z.L.
Chinese Medical Journal 94(7): 463-466
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0366-6999 PMID: 6796351 Document Number: 175605
Direct measurements are made of 996 lumbar vertebrae of 200 Chinese adult dried skeleton specimens. Morphometric values suggest that developmental vertebral canal stenosis is a type of borderline stenosis with slight shortening of canal mid-sagittal diameter and/or interpedicular diameter compared to the norms. It is a predisposing factor leading to vertebral canal stenosis syndrome, but not the determining factor. During diagnosis of lumbar vertebral canal stenosis, measurement of the canal mid-sagittal diameter is very important. Calculating the spinal index and measuring the length of the vertebral arch-pedicles, especially those of the upper lumbar vertebrae, are of definite significance for clinical reference. Using the spinal index for calculations, the vertebral canal volume of the vertebrae with mid-sagittal stenosis was insufficient; that of vertebrae showing interpedicular stenosis was normal. In these 996 lumbar vertebrae, there was an apparent positive correlation between the length of vertebrae arch-pedicles and canal mid-sagittal diameters, but the coefficient of correlation gradually decreases from L1 to L5.