Morphometric Study of Lumbar Vertebrae in South Indian Population

Abstract

The lumbar vertebrae consists of five cylindrical bones that form the spine in the lower back. These vertebrae carry all of the overlying body's weight while providing flexibility and movement to the trunk region. They also protect the delicate spinal cord and nerves within their vertebral canal. The dimensions of lumbar vertebrae should be understood for clinical diagnosis of diseases.The aim of the study is to study about the lumbar vertebrae morphometrically. A total number of 70 dry human lumbar vertebrae were used of which 40 were of males and 30 were of females were obtained from the Department of Anatomy, Saveetha Dental college and Hospitals, Chennai and Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai.The anteroposterior body diameter, transverse body diameter, interpedicular distance and midsagittal diameter was measured using Vernier caliper.The average, mean and standard deviation were calculated. In the present study, the mean Anteroposterior body diameter was found to be 32.15 mm ± 1.0627 in males and 27.04 mm ± 0.3170 in females. The average transverse body diameter was found to be 45.06 mm ± 0.3637 in males and 40.92 mm ± 0.3074 in females. The average interpedicular distance was found to be 26.50 mm ± 0.39 in males and 25.42 mm ± 0.3028 in females. The average midsagittal diameter was found to be 17.96 mm ± 0.2597 in males and 16.94 mm ± 0.2313 in females. The present study concluded that the dimensions of lumbar vertebrae for the South Indian population showed significant differences between males and females. The measurements were higher in males than females.