Abstract:

BACKGROUND: In internal fixation methods of the cervical vertebrae, the stability of vertebral pedicle fixation was strongest. The vertebral pedicle is surrounded by vertebral artery, spinal cord, dural sac and nerve. Damages to above-described tissues are dangerous or fateful. Thus, the application and generalization of vertebral pedicle screw fixation techniques are limited. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has high resolution of soft tissue, and can be used as a beneficial method for studying nervous tissues surrounding cervical vertebral pedicle.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate clinical significances in transpedicular screw fixation with MRI measurement of cervical vertebral pedicle adjacent neural structure.
METHODS: The cervical segment of 62 health adult examples had been scanned by MRI. The measurement indexes included 7 items: the radius vector of vertebral canal, the transverse diameter of vertebral canal, the exponent of vertebral foramen, radius vector of spinal cord, the transverse diameter of spinal cord, the distance of pedicle to superior nerve root, and the distance of pedicle to inferior nerve root.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Radius vector of vertebral canal decreased fast from C1 to C4 and increased slowly from C3 to C7. From C1 to C2, transverse diameter of vertebral canal significantly decreased, whereas from C3 to C7, it increased slowly. Transverse diameter of vertebral canal of C1 was biggest, but that of C2 was smallest. Radius vector of spinal cord and transverse diameter of spinal cord had a clear increase in C5 and C6. The distance of pedicle to superior nerve root was smaller than the distance of pedicle to inferior nerve root. These indicated that MRI can reveal the imaging features of cervical pedicle adjacent neural structure clearly and provide radiology data for transpedicular screw fixation.