The morphometry and pathological anatomy of the lumbar spine in South African negroes and caucasoids with specific reference to spinal stenosis

Eisenstein, Steve

doi:10.1302/0301-620x.59b2.873978

Cited by 145 publications

(106 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Our values for each sex are generally similar to those measured by Catalina-Herrera (1987). The lack of a significant sexual dimorphism in foramen magnum size-as found in the current study-is consistent with earlier reports showing an absence of larger male vertebral canal dimensions (Eisenstein, 1977;Porter et al, 1978;Hasue et al, 1983;Kikuchi et al, 1984). Weak sexual dimorphism is probably a result of the fact that the size of the spinal cord may be determined by the number of neural elements in the cord (Fox and Wilczynski, 1986) which in turn depends on the number of motor units in peripheral muscles and sensory nerve endings.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Variability of Human Foramen Magnum Size

Gruber

Henneberg

Böni

et al. 2009

The Anatomical Record

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The foramen magnum is an important landmark of the skull base and is of particular interest for anthropology, anatomy, forensic medicine, and other medical fields. Despite its importance, few osteometric studies of the foramen magnum have been published so far. A total of 110 transverse and 111 sagittal diameters from Central European male and female dry specimens dating from the Pleistocene to modern times were measured, and related to sex, age, stature, ethnicity, and a possible secular trend. Only a moderate positive correlation between the transverse and the sagittal diameter of the foramen magnum was found. Surprisingly, neither sexual dimorphism, individual age-dependency, nor a secular trend was found for either diameter. Furthermore, the relationship between the individual stature and foramen magnum diameters was weak: thus foramen magnum size cannot be used as reliable indicator for stature estimation. Further consideration of possible factors influencing the variability of human foramen magnum size shall be explored in larger and geographically more diverse samples, thus serving forensic, clinical, anatomical, and anthropological interests in this body part. Anat Rec, 292:1713Rec, 292: -1719Rec, 292: , 2009. V V C 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: anthropology; forensic medicine; osteometry; Pleistocene; secular trend; skull baseSpinal osteometry is a versatile and important method in many research fields including anthropology and basic medical sciences (Saillant, 1976;Krag et al., 1988;Schaeffer, 1999;Mitra et al., 2002;Ahern, 2005;Muthukumar et al., 2005). The foramen magnum, as a transition zone between spine and skull, plays an important role as a landmark because of its close relationship to key structures such as the brain and the spinal cord. There is a small heterogeneous group of anthropological and medical papers focusing on the foramen magnum: simple morphometric analysis of foramen magnum dimensions (Sendemir et al., 1994), foramen magnum size as a part of human occipital bone biometry (Olivier, 1975), its size relative to sex (Catalina-Herrera, 1987;Uysal et al., 2005), its relationship to the intra-cranial volume (Acer et al., 2006), its relationship to stature (Röthig, 1971), the use of the foramen magnum as an identification mark for fire victims (Holland, 1989), the inter-and intra-variability of the foramen magnum position in different species (Ahern, 2005), foramen magnum-carotid foramina relationship as a probable species diagnostic mark (Schaeffer, 1999), and the foramen magnum region in relation to surgical approaches (Muthukumar et al., 2005).Despite its anatomical and clinical relevance, there is still a lack of basic osteometric studies. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, no study has ever

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Variability of Human Foramen Magnum Size

Gruber

Henneberg

Böni

et al. 2009

The Anatomical Record

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“…Several studies have attempted morphometrically to characterize the lumbar spine in individuals with degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) with diverse results [3,[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Some radiological studies have reported that the changes in the anterior-posterior (AP) diameter, transverse diameter and cross-section area (CSA) of the spinal canal and dural sac are risk factors for developing spinal stenosis [16,17,23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some radiological studies have reported that the changes in the anterior-posterior (AP) diameter, transverse diameter and cross-section area (CSA) of the spinal canal and dural sac are risk factors for developing spinal stenosis [16,17,23,24]. Other studies focused on degenerative changes of the intervertebral disc, zygapophyseal joints and ligamentum flavum as dominant contributors of degenerative LSS [10-12, 25, 26].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar spine configuration

et al. 2010

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As life expectancy increases, degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (DLSS) becomes a common health problem among the elderly. DLSS is usually caused by degenerative changes in bony and/or soft tissue elements. The poor correlation between radiological manifestations and the clinical picture emphasizes the fact that more studies are required to determine the natural course of this syndrome. Our aim was to reveal the association between lower lumbar spine configuration and DLSS. Two groups were studied: the first included 67 individuals with DLSS (mean age 66 ± 10) and the second 100 individuals (mean age 63.4 ± 13) without DLSS-related symptoms. Both groups underwent CT images (Philips Brilliance 64) and the following measurements were performed: a crosssection area of the dural sac, vertebral body dimensions (height, length and width), AP diameter of the bony spinal canal, lumbar lordosis and sacral slope angles. All measurements were taken at L3 to S1. Vertebral body lengths were significantly greater in the DLSS group at all levels compared to the control, whereas anterior vertebral body heights (L3, L4, L5) and middle vertebral heights (L3, L5) were significantly smaller in the LSS group. Lumbar lordosis, sacral slope and bony spinal canal were significantly smaller in the DLSS compared to the control. We conclude that the size and shape of vertebral bodies and canals significantly differed between the study groups. A tentative model is suggested to explain the association between these characteristics and the development of degenerative spinal stenosis.

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“…Previous studies have depended on direct measurements from plain X-ray films [9,12,13,23], or from computed tomographic (CT) scans [8,11,26,34,36]. A few reports have involved the analysis of cadaveric specimens [1,7,24,27,29]. The value of the data has depended on the number of samples and the accuracy of Abstract The precise dimensions of the lumbar vertebrae and discs are critical for the production of appropriate spinal implants.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Geometrical dimensions of the lower lumbar vertebrae - analysis of data from digitised CT images

Zhou¹,

McCarthy²,

McGregor³

et al. 2000

European Spine Journal

185

122

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IntroductionAccurate and comprehensive anthropometric data for the lumbar spine vertebrae, a frequent site for implantation surgery, are incomplete at present. Information on the precise dimensions of the lower lumbar vertebrae is, however, essential, for the rational design and development of spinal implants and instrumentation such as pedicle screws and, in particular, with the evolution towards robotic surgery. Previous studies have depended on direct measurements from plain X-ray films [9,12,13,23], or from computed tomographic (CT) scans [8,11,26,34,36]. A few reports have involved the analysis of cadaveric specimens [1,7,24,27,29]. The value of the data has depended on the number of samples and the accuracy of Abstract The precise dimensions of the lumbar vertebrae and discs are critical for the production of appropriate spinal implants. Unfortunately, existing databases of vertebral and intervertebral dimensions are limited either in accuracy, study population or parameters recorded. The objective of this study is to provide a large and accurate database of lumbar spinal characteristics from 126 digitised computed tomographic (CT) images, reviewed using the Picture Archiving Communication System (PACS) coupled with its internal measuring instrumentation. These CT images were obtained from patients with low back pain attending the spinal clinic at the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust. Measurements of various aspects of vertebral dimensions and geometry were recorded, including vertebral and intervertebral disc height. The results from this study indicated that the depth and width of the vertebral endplate increased from the third to the fifth lumbar vertebra. Anterior vertebral height remained the same from the third to the fifth vertebra, but the posterior vertebral height decreased. Mean disc height in the lower lumbar segments was 11.6 ± 1.8 mm for the L3/4 disc, 11.3 ± 2.1 mm for the L4/5, and 10.7 ± 2.1 mm for the L5/S1 level. The average circumference of the lower endplate of the fourth lumbar vertebra was 141 mm and the average surface area was 1492 mm 2 . An increasing pedicle width from a mean of 9.6 ± 2.2 mm at L3 through to 16.2 ± 2.8 mm at L5 was noted. A comprehensive database of vertebral and intervertebral dimensions was generated from 378 lumbar vertebrae from 126 patients measured with a precise digital technique. These results are invaluable in establishing an anthropometric model of the human lumbar spine, and provide useful data for anatomical research. In addition this is important information for the scientific planning of spinal surgery and for the design of spinal implants.

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The morphometry and pathological anatomy of the lumbar spine in South African negroes and caucasoids with specific reference to spinal stenosis

Cited by 145 publications

References 14 publications

Variability of Human Foramen Magnum Size

Variability of Human Foramen Magnum Size

Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis and lumbar spine configuration

Geometrical dimensions of the lower lumbar vertebrae - analysis of data from digitised CT images

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