Morphometric evaluation of the cervical region in terms of age and gender in patients with cervical pain symptom

Objective: The aim of this research was to perform a morphometric evaluation of significant anatomical structures in the cervical region among individuals presenting symptoms of neck pain, considering age and gender. The obtained data is intended to serve as a reference for both scientific literature and clinicians, assisting in the diagnosis, treatment, and interventions related to this specific anatomical area. Material and Methods: In the study, cross-sectionally, measurements were conducted on the data of 111 female and 100 male patients who presented with symptoms of neck pain to the Aydın Adnan Menderes University Hospital Polyclinics and underwent sagittal plane magnetic resonance imaging in the Department of Radiology between April 2018 and April 2023. The SPSS 20.0 program was utilized for statistical analysis of the data. Independent sample t-test was employed for the comparison of female-male parameters based on gender, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to compare the averages of data obtained from three different age groups. Results: As a result of the measurements, statistically significant differences were observed in the age distribution between genders. Measurements of the sagittal diameter of the foramen magnum, height of the dens axis, anteroposterior distance of the dens axis, and total length of cervical vertebrae showed statistically significant differences based on gender. Heights of the corpus vertebrae and intervertebral discs were found to be significantly lower in women aged 18-29 and 30-49 compared to men at all levels except the C2-C3 intervertebral disc level. Similarly, in women aged 50-90, heights of the corpus vertebrae and intervertebral discs were significantly lower than in men at all levels except the C5-C6 and C6-C7 intervertebral disc levels. No significant differences were observed in the sagittal diameter of the spinal cord, sagittal diameter of the vertebral canal, and the angle of the dens axis between genders within the same age groups. Conclusion: We believe that morphometric studies in the cervical region based on age and gender in the 18-90 age range will provide guidance for surgeons in diagnosis and treatment. It will be beneficial in distinguishing pathological conditions during surgical interventions, contributing not only to surgical planning but also to the scientific literature.