Introduction
The assessment of the position of the conus medullaris is very important to perform lumbar
puncture and surgical procedures. There are some reports about the relationships between
the clinical manifestations and the spine morphology or spinal cord morphology in patients
with myelopathy. It has also been reported that there are variations in the cross-sectional area
of the cervical segments of the spinal cord.
Aim
The aim of the present study was to compare the levels of conus to measure the diameters
of the cervical spinal cord segments.
Participants and methods
In the prenatal group, sonographic evaluation of the conus medullaris and the conus distance
were carried out. In the postnatal group, the T2-weighted MRI was used to record the level
of conus medullaris. In addition, the transverse and anteroposterior diameter of the cervical
spinal cord and cross-sectional area from C2 to T1 at the level of each intervertebral disk
were investigated.
Results
In the prenatal group, the mean of conus distance was 32.38 ± 12.13 mm. The level of the
tip of the conus medullaris in the postnatal group showed almost distribution from the T12 to
L2–L3 disk. The peak of the distribution of the conus height was at the level of disk between
T12 and L1. The anteroposterior diameter decreased linearly from C2 to T1.The transverse
diameter and the cross-sectional area were largest at the level of C4–C5, and decreased
progressively to segment T1. There was no statistically signifi cant difference in relation to sex.
Conclusion
Linear regression analysis showed a signifi cant correlation between the conus distance and
gestational age and femur length. The ascent of conus medullaris seems to occur early in
postnatal life. The transverse diameter and the cross-sectional area were largest at the level
of C4–C5, whereas the anteroposterior diameter decreased from C2 to T1.There was no
signifi cant correlation between cervical diameters and sex. |
