Determination of Normal Diameters Range of Lumbar Spinal Canal in Sudanese Population

Abstract

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a condition whereby either the spinal canal or one or more of the vertebral foramina (foraminal stenosis) becomes narrowed. If the narrowing is substantial, it causes compression of the spinal cord or spinal nerves, which causes the painful symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis, including low back pain, buttock pain, and leg pain and numbness that is made worse with walking and relieved by resting The main objective of this study to determine normal diameters range of lumbar spinal canal. This study was performed in 100 patients who underwent MRI for lumbar spine complaining from lower back pain, but all diagnosis as normal MRI findings. In this study the measurement of lumbar canal were taken at L 3 in three different cuts from MRI lumbar spine images. The mean of antrioposterior measurement in the axial cut (1.107±0.2 cm) , mean of transverse measurement in the axial cut (1.694±0.3 cm) , mean of anterio-posterior measurement in the sagittal cut (1.397 ±0.2cm) . In this study The relationship between the patient age and Anterio-posterior measurement in the axial cut was found to be a weak indirect relationship ,with person correlation coefficient