Radiological Measurements of Cervical Spinal Canal in Normal Korean Adults

ABSTRACT

The concept of using radiographic measurements in the diagnosis of intraspinal lesions is not new. There have been many studies for the measurements of the spinal canal and normal ranges of variation in normal human and patient with spondylosis or developments stenosis. The author measured the cervical spinal canal in 89 normal Korean adults plain X-rays(male;62 cases, female;27 cases) in order to establish a range of normal value in X-ray diagnosis. The sagittal diameters of the cervical spinal canal were measured from the middle of the posterior surface of the vertebral body to the "nearest point" on the cortical line at the point of fusion of the corresponding laminae. The transverse diameters of the cervical spinal canal were measured the interpediculate distance which represents the greatest diameter of the cervical neural canal from C3 to C7. According to the normal ranges of the sagittal and transverse diameters of the cervical spinal canal, It was concluded 1. The sagittal diameter is progressively narrowed from C1 to C4(Mean+/-SD=C1; 21.83+/-2.43, C2; 19.30+/-2.39, C3; 17.14+/-2.65, C4; 16.41+/-2.47) thereafter it is progressively widened from C5 to C7(C5; 16.79+/-2.72, C6; 17.39+/-2.74, C7; 17.68+/-2.81). 2. The transverse diameter is progressively widened from C3 to C6(Mean+/-SD= C3; 27.10+/-2.23, C4; 28.05+/-2.30, C5; 28.95+/-2.36, C6; 29.12+/-2.25) thereafter it is narrowed in C7(C7; 27.81+/-2.28). 3. Generally, the length of the male are more longer than that of female both in sagittal and transverse diameter in cervical spinal canal(average;1.29 mm). 4. Ranges of normal values both in sagittal and transverse diameters in whole length of the cervical spinal canal were established(Fig. 5. Table 4, and 5).