Comparison level of the termination of the spinal cord with magnetic resonance imaging in healthy people and patients with disc herniation

The spinal cord is slightly flattened at the front and back in vertebral and ends in a cone shape. In cases such as central nervous system diseases, meninges infections and examination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), it is important to know the level of spinal cord termination when entering this area with a needle or opening the channel while performing lumbal puncture. It has been reported that level of spinal cord termination can terminate at different levels in age, sex, height, weight, body mass index and various diseases. In this study, it was aimed to determine level of spinal cord termination and to compare this level with gender, age, body mass index parameters in order to prevent complications in operations such as anesthesia, surgery, lumbal puncture to be performed on lumbal region. In addition, the effect of the presence of disc herniation on level of spinal cord temination, which is a parameter not previously searched in the literature, was investigated and level of spinal cord termination was determined in patients with disc herniation. For this purpose, lumbal MRI images of 191 healthy and 150 patients with lumbal protruse disc hernias were retrospectively evaluated. Level of spinal cord termination were determined by looking at these images according to both the corpus vertebrae and discus intervertebralis and the processus spinosus. Level of spinal cord termination was most commonly found in healthy people and patients with disc herniation at the upper third level of the L1 corpus vertebrae. According to processus spinosus, level of spinal cord termination was most commonly found in L1 processus spinosus in healthy people and patients with disc herniation. There is no significant statistical difference between level of spinal cord termination in healthy people and patients with disc herniation. There is a significant relationship between level of spinal cord termination measured by classical method and level of spinal cord termination measured by processus spinosus (p=0.001, r=0.853). Age and height in healthy people, and age and level of spinal cord termination in patients with disc herniation were found to be positively weak. For lumbar poncture, anesthesia and surgical procedures to be performed in this region, levels below the reference level L3 processus spinosus should be taken.