Morphometric Analysis of the Body, Pedicle and Lamina of Typical Thoracic Vertebrae: An Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction: Thoracic vertebrae are a part of the vertebral column. The thoracic vertebrae have a body size between the cervical and lumbar vertebrae, which increase gradually from above downward and are characterised by the presence of facet joints for articulation with the head of the ribs on the side of the vertebral bodies. Aim: To measure the various morphometric parameters of different components of dry thoracic vertebrae and compare various components on the right and left-sides. Materials and Methods: The present observational study was carried on 100 dry human thoracic vertebrae for direct measurements of the vertebral body, pedicle and lamina. Using a digital Vernier calliper, all the parameters were measured. The data was entered in Microsoft Excel sheet. The mean and standard deviation (M±SD) of all parameters were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. Student’s t-test was used for the comparison of morphometric dimensions of the right and left-sides. Results: In a typical thoracic vertebra, the mean Transverse Diameter (TD) was 25.58±2.34 mm, and the mean Anteroposterior Diameter (APD) of the vertebral body was 18.53±2.59 mm. The mean Anterior Height (AH) and Posterior Height (PH) of the body were 16.24±1.54 mm and 17.81±1.67 mm, respectively. The mean Pedicle Width (PW) was 3.75±0.98 mm on the right-side and 3.74±0.97 mm on the left-side. The mean Pedicle Height (PH) was 9.64±1.04 mm on the right-side and 9.68±1.14 mm on the left-side. The mean Lamina Height (LH) on the right-side was 17.07±2.15 mm and on the left-side was 17.20±1.98 mm. The right-side and left-side mean Lamina Widths (LW) were 5.26±0.94 mm and 5.13±0.85 mm, respectively. PW and PH and lamina thickness and LH measurements showed no statistically difference between right and left-sides. Conclusion: Designing implants and instruments using data from such researches can benefit the surgeon during preoperative planning.