title: Is any landmark reliable in vertebral enumeration? A study of 3.0-Tesla lumbar MRI comparing skeletal, neural, and vascular markers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to determine the reliability of the iliolumbar ligament (ILL), 12th costa, aortic bifurcation (AB), right renal artery (RRA), and conus medullaris (CM) for numbering of vertebral segments.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five hundred five patients underwent routine lumbar MRI examinations including a cervicothoracic sagittal scout and T1 and T2-weighted sagittal and axial turbo spin echo images. Images were evaluated by two radiologists separately.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The identifiability of ILL and 12th costa were 85.7% and 48.1%. AB, RRA, and CM were located more caudally in lumbarized S1 and more cranially in sacralized L5 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Landmarks suggested by previous studies are not reliable alternatives to cervicothoracic scout images due to wide ranges of distribution and inconsistencies in identification.
authors.affiliation: Marmara Univ. Pendik EAH, Radyoloji AD, Fevzi Cakmak Mahallesi Mimar Sinan Caddesi No: 41, 34899 Ust Kaynarca Pendik, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: deryatureli@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Derya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Tureli
authors.affiliation: Marmara Univ. Pendik EAH, Radyoloji AD, Fevzi Cakmak Mahallesi Mimar Sinan Caddesi No: 41, 34899 Ust Kaynarca Pendik, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: gazanfere@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Gazanfer
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ekinci
authors.affiliation: Marmara Univ. Pendik EAH, Radyoloji AD, Fevzi Cakmak Mahallesi Mimar Sinan Caddesi No: 41, 34899 Ust Kaynarca Pendik, Istanbul, Turkey. Electronic address: fbaltaci@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Feyyaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baltacioglu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001012:Aorta, Abdominal / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000098:blood supply; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012077:Renal Artery / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Aortic bifurcation; Iliolumbar ligament; Lumbosacral transitional vertebrae; Magnetic resonance imaging; Renal artery