• Steven de Reuver, Lorenzo Costa, Hanna van Rheenen, Casper S Tabeling, Justin V C Lemans, SchlösserTom P CTPCDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands., Moyo C Kruyt, Marijn van Stralen, and René M Castelein.
• Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
• Spine. 2022 Apr 1; 47 (7): E312E318E312-E318.

Study DesignCross-sectional.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to describe the morphology of intervertebral discs and vertebral bodies during growth in asymptomatic children and adolescents.Summary Of Background DataEarlier studies demonstrated that spinal growth occurs predominantly in vertebral bodies. This axiom introduced a vertebral-body-focus for unravelling etiological questions and achieve growth-modulation in young spinal deformity patients. Recent studies show the importance of the intervertebral discs in the early phases and possible etiology of pediatric spinal deformities. There is presently a paucity of 3D morphometric data of spinal elements during growth.MethodsA database of 298 patients aged 0 to 21 that have received a computed tomography scan for indications not related to the spine was analyzed. Custom made software was used to semi-automatically measure intervertebral disc and vertebral body morphology, corrected for orientation in all 3 planes.ResultsVertebral body height increased from birth up to adulthood, from 4-to-14 mm in the cervical, 6 to 20 mm in the thoracic, and 9 to 28 mm in the lumbar spine. This increase was 0.70 mm/year in males, more pronounced than females with 0.62 mm/year (P = 0.001). Lumbar discs increased throughout growth from 4.4 to 9.0 mm, whereas thoracic discs only increased from 3.5 to 4.9 mm at age 4 and remained stable afterwards, similarly for cervical discs. The disc transverse surface area increased greatly and consistently throughout growth. Disc slenderness was stable in the lumbar spine during growth, but decreased in the thoracic and cervical spine. Overall, discs were more slender in females, especially around early adolescence.ConclusionThe spine grows predominantly in the vertebral bodies. Thoracic discs increase in height only during the first years, whereas the transverse surface area continues to increase throughout growth, thus discs slenderness decreases. Relatively, female discs remained slenderer around growth-spurt. These measurements may assist future studies on the role of disc morphology in the etiology and treatment of spinal deformity.Level of Evidence: 4.Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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