Abstract:

Objective　To present a method for measuring cervical intervertebral discs of Chinese people, and provide basis for designing artificial disc.　Methods　MRI data of cervical vertebra of 219 healthy Chinese adults free from cervical disease were selected. The anterior height, the middle height, the posterior height, the intervertebral angle, the sagittal diameter and the transverse diameter of cervical intervertebral discs were measured and analyzed, respectively.    Results　The anterior, middle and posterior heights of discs varied from 2.5mm to 6.9mm, 3.4mm to 9.3mm, and 1.9mm to 6.5mm, respectively. The intervertebral angle varied from 1.2°to 10°, the sagittal diameter varied from 11.1mm to 21.4mm, while the transverse diameter varied from 16.1mm to 29.6mm.　Conclusions　Significance can be detected for references of cervical discs, between both gender and different segments, which is helpful for guiding the design of artificial cervical disc.

Key words: Cervical disc, MRI, Measurement, The artificial cervical disc