Morphometric Study of the Thickness and the Angles of Long Axes of the Vertebral Laminae of Korean Adults

Kim, Ho Jeong; Chung, In Hyuk

Abstract

Few morphometric data on the thickness and the inclination of vertebral lamina are found with its frequent involvement in many surgical procedures. The thickness in the middle of right vertebral lamina and the angle between the superior border of lamina and sagittal plane were measured in 90 dried vertebral columns. 1. The laminae of the cervical vertebrae were generally thin and they became gradually thicker down to the lumbar vertebrae. The lamina of the fifth lumbar vertebra was the thickest (9.4mm) and that of the fifth cervical was the thinnest (2.9mm). The thickest lamina appeared in second cervical, twelfth thoracic and fourth lumbar vertebrae in 71%, 44% and 36%, respectively. 2. The angles between superior border of long axes of the laminae and the sagittal plane were the widest in thoracic vertebrae, and narrower in lumbar, the narrowest in cervical vertebrae. The angle of eithth thoracic was the widest (59.8°) and that of the fifth lumbar was the narrowest (48.6°). Widest angle of lamina appeared in seventh cervical, sixth thoracic and fifh lumbar vertebra in 27%, 20% and 48%, respectively. 3. No significant differences were found in the thicknesses and the angles of inclination of vertebral laminae between males and females.