Study of lumbar vertebral canal in Pakistanis and comparison with other races

ABSTRACT

An osteometric study of the anteroposterior diameter of the lumbar vertebral canal of normal adult Pakistani males and comparison to Nigerians was done. Fifty complete sets of adult male lumbar vertebra were studied. In Pakistani the mean sagittal diameter was narrow at the level of L1, L3, L4 and wider at L2 and L5. The canal body ratio was maintained at 0.5 at all levels. Inferior vertebral notch maintained its ratio at 0.3 at all levels except at L2 it was 0.4. The diameter of vertebral canal is narrow in Pakistanis as compared to Nigerians