Digital and anatomical study about morphological characteristics of children’s lumbar vertebral canal and pedicle

Wang Xing; Shi Jun; Zhang Shao-jie; Li Zhi-jun; Zhang Yuan-zhi; Liu Hong-wei; Ma Shi-feng; Zhang Zhi-feng

doi:10.3969/j.issn.2095-4344.2014.13.020

Abstract：BACKGROUND:Indications and therapeutic method of surgical treatment for Children’s spinal injury are stil controversial. <br> OBJECTIVE:To analyze the morphology, development regularities and age characteristics of lumbar pedicle of children aged 6 to 11 years old by using thin layer CT image data and three dimensional reconstruction. <br> METHODS:A total of 60 children at the age of 6 to 11 years without spine trauma, deformity and neurological symptoms were selected, and were scanned with multi-row spiral CT (0.625-1.25 mm) from T 12 to S 1 . The original data were imported into three-dimensional reconstruction software by DICOM format, and related index was measured. The data were statistical y analyzed according to different segments. <br> RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: ①With increasing age and vertebral levels, transverse diameter and radius vector of the spinal canal had an increasing trend. ②With the increase of age, the pedicle width and height had an increasing trend. With the increase of vertebral levels, the pedicle width had an increasing trend, but pedicle height had a slowly decreasing trend. The pedicle height was greater than pedicle width. ③With the increase of age, the nail path length had an increasing trend. In the lumbar vertebra, nail path presented“waves”on the whole, and there was no significant difference between each vertebra. ④With the increase of vertebral levels, e angle had an increasing trend, but the f angle presented decreasing“wavy”trend. These results indicated that transverse diameter, radius vector, width and height of pedicle, nail path length, e angle and f angle were strongly associated with pedicle screw implantation. In clinical application, we should choose an optimal therapeutic method according to the features of pedicle of children.