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Changes in spinal canal diameter and vertebral body height with age
Kyung Hyun Kim1, Jeong Yoon Park, Sung Uk Kuh
1Department of Neurosurgery, Gangnam Severance Hospital, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 211 Eonju-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul 135-720, Korea. spinepjy@yuhs.ac.
Yonsei Medical Journal
|October 22, 2013
Summary
Spinal canal diameter remains stable with aging in individuals with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) or herniated cervical discs (HCD). However, vertebral body height decreases significantly in older adults with LSS.
Area of Science:
- Spine anatomy and aging research
- Radiological assessment of spinal structures
- Degenerative spine conditions
Background:
- Spinal structures undergo continuous age-related changes.
- Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) at L4/5 is common and exhibits significant motion.
- Thoracic spine motion at T5/6 is minimal.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related changes in the lumbar spinal canal.
- To measure spinal canal diameter and vertebral body height at T5, T6, L4, and L5 across different age groups.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of whole spine sagittal MRIs from 536 patients (aged 40-77).
- Patients categorized into lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and herniated cervical disc (HCD) groups.
- Comparison of demographic data, spinal canal diameter, and vertebral height across four age cohorts.
Main Results:
- Patients with LSS had lower height, weight, and radiologic parameters compared to HCD patients.
- In the LSS group, vertebral height (T6, L4, L5) decreased significantly with age, unlike spinal canal diameter.
- No age-related differences were observed in the HCD group for any parameter.
Conclusions:
- Vertebral height diminishes with age in patients with LSS and HCD.
- Spinal canal diameter shows no significant age-related changes in either patient group.
- Aging does not impact mid-spinal canal diameter.
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