title: [Measurement of diameter of T4 pedicle-rib compomers].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure the diameter of T4 pedicle-rib compomers in normal human spines and discuss the importance of related dates.
  
  
  METHODS
  T4 computerized tomography (CT) images,including two-dimensional,three-dimensional reconstruction, of 12 random adult patients were harvested. There were 7 males and 5 females with a mean age of 23 years (ranged, 19 to 28 years). The patients were divided into groups by self control,which means the diameter of pedicle compared with that of pedicle-rib unit in the same side of each T4. The facility was GE light speed 16. Measurement of the body specimens from T3 to T5 . The parameter included the width of pedicle-rib unit compared with pedicle,the longitudinal diameter of pedicle-rib unit compared with pedicle, especially for the pedicle-rib overlap.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The relationship of T4 pedicle and rib were not on the same level but overlapping. The width of pedicle-rib unit was significantly larger than that of pedicle (P<0.05). The longitudinal diameters of pedicle-rib unit or pedicle were significantly larger than those of pedicle-rib overlap (P<0.05); while there was no significantly difference between the pedicle-rib unit and pedicle (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overlapping relationship of T4 pedicle and rib is partly but not whole, which means the longitudinal diameter of T4 pedicle-rib overlap should not be considered as the same of unit or pedicle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, the First Hospital Affiliated to PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100084, China. wxing304@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Shu-Xun
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: Hou
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Bing-Yao
authors.initials: BY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ya-min
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012272:Ribs / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D055815:Young Adult