Three-dimensional digitizing and anatomic study of lumbar vertebral canal and pedicle in children

Introduction
Spinal pedicle screw internal fixation has been widely used in adult spine injury fixation. Due to being in a period of continuous growth and development, the spine of children at different ages shows different characteristics from adults in terms of anatomy, physiological function, and biomechanics. Furthermore, because the pedicle of children is small, has large anatomic variation, and has complex adjacent relationships, the surgical risk is extremely high. How to improve the screwing accuracy is the key to the success of children’s pedicle internal fixation. Therefore, applying the concept of digitized and individualized screwing will be of great significance to children’s pedicle screwing.

Aim
To investigate the morphologies, development patterns, and aging characteristics of the lumbar vertebral pedicle (LVP) in children aged 6–11 years, and to provide a theoretical basis for screw implantation and related biomechanical studies.

Material and Methods
A total of 60 children aged 6–11 years were selected for the intergroup measurement and statistical analysis of their lumbar diameter, pedicle diameter, screw canal length (SCL), etc.

Results
Generally, the vertebral foramen diameter (ID), sagittal diameter (SD), pedicle width (PW), and SCL as well as the pedicle height (PH) exhibited an increasing trend with age and increasing vertebral sequence among children aged 6–11 years.

Conclusions
By observing the LVP in children using 3D digital reconstruction technology, the morphology of the spinal canal and pedicles at different lumbar segments showed obvious development patterns, and the best treatment protocol should be selected according to the LVP characteristics in clinical applications.