Morphometric study of the lumbar spinal canal in the Korean population.

STUDY
DESIGN: The anatomic dimensions of the vertebral body and spinal canal of the lumbar spine were analyzed in Koreans.
OBJECTIVES: To determine the normal dimension of the lumbar spinal canal in Koreans, to determine whether there are any racial differences in the morphometry of the lumbar spinal canal, and to provide criteria for diagnosing spinal stenosis in the Far Eastern Asian. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Some radiologic and anatomic studies have been conducted regarding the size of the lumbar spinal canal of whites and blacks in western and African countries.
METHODS: One-thousand-eight-hundred measurements were performed on the transverse and sagittal diameters of vertebral bodies and spinal canals using complete sets of 90 lumbar vertebrae.
RESULTS: The mean mid-sagittal diameter of the lumbar spinal canal in the Korean population was less than that measured in white and African populations, but there was no significant differences between the Korean, white, and African populations regarding the transverse diameter of the lumbar spinal canal.
CONCLUSION: The mid-sagittal diameter of the lumbar spinal canal is narrowest in the Far Eastern Asian population; the radiologic criteria of spinal stenosis should be reconsidered for these people.