title: [Measurements of the lumbar spinal canal of Chinese by computed tomography].
abstract: The study of the lumbar canal sizes in Chinese has not been reported before. Thirty adult patients, aged 20 to 40 years, who sustained thoracolumbar or lumbar fracture-dislocation and needed further computed tomographic (CT) scanning were included in this study. There was no significant back pain or sciatica on these patients before. Measurements of the med-sagittal anteroposterior (A-P) and interpedicular (I-P) diameters of the spinal canals L1 to L5 were requested at the same time during CT scanning. The results show that the lowest normal limits of the A-P and I-P diameters of the lumbar canals in Chinese are 11 mm and 19 mm respectively. The I-P diameters increase progressively from the first to the fifth vertebrae. The A-P diameters, however, are more variable and shortest at L2, L3 and L4 vertebrae.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013115:Spinal Canal / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed