关键词: 儿童,  ,  , 颈椎,  ,  , 骺环 

Abstract: Objective    To investigate the normal developmental process of human cervical epiphyseal ring, so as to provide  basis for the diagnosis of disease and the determination of treatment plan. Methods   Two hundred and fifty patients (98 females and 152 males) who attended Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University to receive cervical X-ray lateral radiographs from January 2015 to December 2023 were retrospectively selected. The anterior and posterior epiphyseal rings below C2 to C7 were divided into four stages according to development stage: cartilage stage, ossification stage, fusion stage, and maturity stage. The height, length, distance from anterior/posterior margin of vertebral body (AP distance), and distance from the inferior margin of vertebral body (CC distance) of epiphyseal rings in the ossification stage were measured, and the correlation between these parameters and age was analyzed. Results    The ossification of epiphyseal ring first occurred on a 3-year-old child. All epiphyseal rings began to ossify in children over 15 years of age. The anterior side below C7 was the earliest to begin ossification, and anterior epiphyseal ring usually ossified earlier than posterior side, but posterior epiphyseal ring fused to vertebral body earlier. In the 25-year age group, 20 % of epiphyseal rings were still not completely fused to vertebral body. The mean height of epiphyseal rings during ossification stage was (0.7±0.3) mm, the mean length was (2.8±1.6) mm, the mean AP distance was (1.3±0.6) mm, and the mean CC distance was (0.4±0.2) mm. In 92 % of epiphyseal rings, the AP distance was not greater than 2.0 mm, and in 99 % of epiphyseal rings, the CC distance was not greater than 1.0 mm. There was no significant correlation between any of the parameters and age.    Conclusions    In this study, the normal developmental process of cervical epiphyseal rings in children in China was derived from the observation of cervical X-ray lateral radiographs, which is helpful for the assessment of individual development in clinical work and guiding the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.

Key words: Pediatric,  ,  , Cervical spine,  ,  , Epiphyseal ring