Computed tomography of bone fragments in the spinal canal. An experimental study

The detectability of bone fragments of differing size and structure, placed epidurally in the spinal canal at different levels from T XI to L II, was studied in three vertebral preparations using three different CT scanners, Philips Tomoscan 310, General Electric 8800 and Siemens Somatom 2. The thickness of the bone fragment was the most decisive factor. Cortical bone fragments could be detected down to a thickness of 0.6 mm and spongy bone fragments down to 1.2 mm. No difference in detectability between the different CT scanners was found.