Dimensions of cervical vertebral bodies according to age and sex.

A biometric comparative roentgenological study of the cervical vertebral bodies was performed, according to age and sex, from lateral roentgenograms of 120 adult cervical regions. The sexual dimorphism already described by many authors was confirmed. The vertebral bodies of C2, C3, and C7 have the more variable structure according to age. The results of our measurements are in accordance with clinical findings and provide data on the structural changes of the cervical spine during ageing. In anthropological terms, the vertebral body of C2, in particular its antero-posterior diameter, is the best age indicator, irrespective of individual and exterior variables.