ABSTRACT

Purpose:

The pedicle anatomy is the most important point during lumbar pedicle screw fixation. The pedicle measurements provide the spine surgeon additional useful information in order to place safer and stronger pedicle screws. Although several studies of pedicle anatomy have been published, pedicle wall thickness has not been studied before such as radiologic anatomy in Turkish people.

Methods:

In this radio-anatomical study, we aimed to measure the medial and lateral cortical walls of each lumbar pedicle to obtain quantitative data and to demonstrate if there are any differences between lateral and medial pedicle walls. A total of 500 pedicle in 50 patients (mean age: 45.2) were measured from L1 to L5 by computed tomography (CT) scanning. We investigated and measured both lateral and medial aspects of pedicle walls by thin-section CT.

Results:

In all levels, the medial wall of the pedicle was found to be thicker than lateral wall (p<0.001).

Conclusion:

Medial pedicle wall is thicker than lateral wall in the lumbar pedicles in the Turkish population. The medial wall should not purchase to preserve the nerve root. It is also important to preserve the integrity of this wall for biomechanical stability.