Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 27, 2025

Three and Four-Dimensional Visualization and Analysis Approaches to Study Vertebrate Axial Elongation and Segmentation
Published on: February 28, 2021
TOMOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF C7, T1 AND T2 VERTEBRAE ANATOMY IN CHILDREN
Gabriela Estefanía Delgado Cabrera1, Marcelo Giacomin DA Fonseca1, Mauro Costa Morais Tavares1
1Universidade de São Paulo, Faculty of Medicine, Hospital das Clínicas, Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology, HC-FMUSP, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
Objective:
To evaluate and compare anatomical measurements of C7, T1 and T2 vertebrae in children from 3 to 12 years of age to provide useful epidemiological data for determining the safe anatomical margin for transpedicular and translaminar fixation with screws in this population.
Methods:
This observational retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated 76 computed tomography scans obtained over 6 months, analyzing the following parameters: the angle of attack, length, thickness and diameter of the pedicle; and the angle of attack, length and thickness of the lamina.
Results:
The lamina length and thickness, as well as pedicle length varied in size according to age. Although the angle of attack was similar across different ages, age-dependent variation occurred in the T1 vertebra.
Conclusion:
Screws with a 3.5 mm diameter are safe to use in the C7 and T2 pedicles, while the T1 pedicle allows the introduction of larger screws ranging from 3.5-4.5 mm in diameter. In the lamina, 3.5 mm screws are safe for use only in children older than 7 years. However, each case should be analyzed individually, with the present study not aiming to replace the preoperative use of CT. Level of Evidence III, Retrospective comparative study.
Related Concept Videos
Vertebral Column: Regions and Curvature
Regions of the Vertebral Column
In an adult, the spine is subdivided into five regions: the cervical, the thoracic, the lumbar, the sacral, and the coccygeal region. The spine initially develops as a series of 33 vertebrae; after 20 years of age, the nine bones in the sacral region, five sacral, and four coccygeal bones fuse to form...
General Structure of a Vertebra
Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
Spinal Cord: Cross-sectional Anatomy
Gray Matter and its Components
Central to the gray matter is...
Articulations of the Vertebral Column
Overview of the Axial Skeleton
The axial skeleton of the...

