Role of effective canal diameter in assessing the pre-operative and the post-operative status of patients with bony cranio-vertebral anomalies

Abstract

Introduction:The effective canal diameter (ECD) for the cranio-vertebral junction is measured from the posterior surface of the dens to the nearest posterior bony structure (foramen magnum or the posterior arch of the atlas). The ECD is the space which is occupied by the buffer space (which can be compromised without producing any signs or symptoms) and the cord itself. We intend to study the role of the ECD (especially in patients with markedly reduced ECD) in producing the symptoms and also the outcome of surgery in patients with bony cranio-vertebral junction (CVJ) anomalies.Materials and Methods:A total of 67 consecutive patients from the period of January 2009 through June 2010 were prospectively included in the study. These patients were operated by a single experienced surgeon (the senior author) at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences, Lucknow. The ECD and the pre-operative Kumar and Kalra score (K and K score) (4) was calculated for all patients. The K and K score was also calculated at the time of discharge, at three months and six months follow-up. The patients were divided into three groups based on the ECD into 5 mm to 10 mm group, 10 mm to 15 mm group, and >15 mm group.Results:There were 53 male (79.1%) patients and 14 female patients (20.9%) with mean age of presentation 27.10 years (±15.01 years) with range of 4-59 years. The duration of symptoms in our series varied from 1-120 months with mean of 23.79 months. The mean effective canal diameter was 9.027 mm (±2.23 mm) with range of 5-16 mm. The mean pre-operative K and K score was 19.27 (±4.19). There were 39 patients who had an ECD between 5 mm to 10 mm, 24 patients with ECD between 10 mm to 15 mm, and 4 patients with ECD more than 15 mm. The correlation coefficients between the effective canal diameter and the pre-operative and the post-operative Kumar and Kalra score at the time of discharge, 3 months and 6 months were 0.404 (P < 0.001), 0.320 (P < 0.008), 0.0302 (P < 0.013), and 0.284 (P < 0.020), respectively. The ECD and the pre-operative score were most significantly and strongly related to each other in patients with ECD between 5-10 mm.Conclusion:The ECD is significantly related to the pre-operative status (K and K score) of the patient. This correlation was strongest in the group with ECD of 5-10 mm. It was also observed that as the follow-up increased, the correlation between the ECD and the post-operative K and K score became less stronger though they remained significantly related to each other.