The application of Micro-CT in the microstructure of vertebrae / 中华骨科杂志

ABSTRACT

With the aging of population, the incidence of osteoporosis and intervertebral disc degeneration increased remarkably.As a consisting part of spine, vertebrae play important roles in spinal diseases.The microstructure of vertebrae is closely associated with not only its biomechanical properties, but also its adjacent intervertebral discs.A detailed understanding of vertebrae's microstructure can help us understand the initial mechanism, progression and prognosis of vertebrae and its adjacent discs' diseases.On the other hand, traditional examinations are less effective in detecting vertebrae's microstructure.Being a noninvasive, high-resolution and bony-sensitive neo-technology, Micro-CT has obvious advantages in detecting vertebrae's microstructure.Many researches have reported the usage of Micro-CT in reveling microstructures while they also raised problems.Thus, herein we searched the related information of vertebrae's microstructure scanning with Micro-CT, explained its basic mechanism, reviewed its progress in technology and arithmetic, and concluded the latest developments.Depending on the microstructure revealed by Micro-CT, achievements in biomechanical properties of vertebrae and intervertebral disc degeneration have been made,and related problems have been summarized.Also, new applications of Micro-CT in spinal diseases are discussed for acquiring reasonable clinical data in the future.