Mean Canal-body Ratio among Specimens of Dried Lumbar Vertebrae in the Department of Anatomy of a Medical College: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

INTRODUCTION: Lumbar spinal canal stenosis is assumed to be one of the chief causative factors for low back pain. The measurement of lumbar canal and body dimensions has thus become an important tool for the diagnosis and treatment of spinal stenosis. This study aims to find out the mean canal-body ratio among specimens of dried lumbar vertebrae in a medical college. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in a medical college from May, 2021 to July, 2021. Ethical clearance was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 0502202103) and whole sampling was done. Seventy-three intact dried lumbar vertebrae were studied for the dimensions of the body and canal in transverse and anteroposterior planes. The findings were recorded and the canal body ratio was calculated using the transverse diameters of the spinal canal and vertebral body. The data obtained were computed and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2013. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with mean and standard deviation for continuous data. RESULTS: The mean canal-body ratio was observed to be 0.53±0.032. The vertebral canal-body ratio was observed to be 0.58 in L1 followed by 0.53 in L2, 0.51 in L3, 0.49 in L4 and 0.53 in L5. CONCLUSIONS: The mean canal-body ratio observed in the present study was comparable to studies done in similar settings.