European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Knowledge of the normal anatomical measurements and variations of the spinal cord are essential in understanding the occurrence of various spinal disorders1. Studies documenting the normal morphometric data of spinal cord on Indian population are very scarce.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The current study was a cross sectional observational study. Study subjects included were patients undergoing MRI conditions other than spinal cord pathology and healthy volunteers in the study setting. Sample size calculated was 60. All the eligible subjects were recruited into the study consecutively till the sample size was reached. Individuals of age group between 20 to 40 years undergoing MRI for conditions other than spinal pathology.
        
RESULTS
A total 60 people were included in the final analysis. The mean of age was 28.03 ± 5.75. Minimum age was 20 years and maximum was 40 years in the study population. Among the study population 41(68.33%) people were aged up to 30 years and 19(31.67%) were aged between 31 to 40years. Among the study population 30(50%) were males and remaining 30(50%) were females.
CONCLUSION
A single number cannot be used as the basis for evaluating spinal cord size. Each level should be compared with the normal range specific for that level. The large variation in cord size should be taken under consideration in morphometric analyses of the spinal cord.