With clinical symptome and asymptomatic patients by Ct radyoanatomical analysis at levels L3-S1 of vertebral canal

SUMMARY Various diameters of the vertebral canal are measured at the levels of L3-4, L4-5, and L5-S1 on CT scans of 100 symptomatic cases and it was revealed that disk hernias were present in 5.79%, 52.17%, and 42.02% of the cases at the levels of L3- 4, L4-5, and L5-S1, respectively, and radiculopathies were more prevalent in the middle age group. Comparing the measurements of the patients with those of the control group comprising 40 healthy cases showed that the diameters of the vertebral canal were significantly little and therefore compression of the spinal nerves were more common. Further, we found that the sagittal diameters were less than 10 mm in 4 cases. These cases were considered absolute spinal stenosis based on literature findings. When we compared the diameters of the vertebral canal between males and females among symptomatic groups, except at certain levels, no significant results. KEY WORDS : Diameter, vertebral canal, clinically symptome, herniation, spinal stenosis, CT.