Browsing by Author "Linkoaho, Ossi"

Small spinal canal dimensions play a significant role in symptomatic adult disc herniations. Due to the different nature of pediatric disc herniations, this study attempts to examine, whether these findings apply in pediatric population. We compared MRI and radiographic dimensions of the lumbar spine in nineteen discectomy patients, seventeen conservatively treated herniation patients and forty-seven herniation-free low back pain patients. The discectomy group presented a considerably smaller spinal canal measured from the MRI than two other groups. Radiographic measurements, however, presented no differences between groups. Age and gender presented no differences in the MRI measurements between the groups, but girls showed a smaller interpedicular distance than boys. Radiographic measurements performed a poor correlation with spinal canal dimensions from MRI. Thus, the severity of herniation can reliably be estimated from MRI, whereas radiographic measurements are not reliable in this case.