Establishment of a three-dimensional model of rabbit lumbar vertebrae:its morphological characters / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:Morphological characteristics of the rabbit lumbar vertebrae are of great significance for animal experiments about lumbar spine, but there is a lack of study on the lumbar morphology in rabbits. OBJECTIVE:To establish a three-dimensional model of rabbit lumbar vertebrae, and to observe its morphological characteristics, thereby providing anatomical basis for the animal experiments about lumbar spine.METHODS:Twenty New Zealand rabbits were subjected to 64-row multi-detector CT (Siemens) scan, and the three-dimensional models were constructed based on the CT data from 140 lumbar vertebrae. The morphological parameters of L1-7 were measured, and the internal and external structures of lumbar vertebrae and changes of different segments were observed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:(1) Changes of the morphological parameters of each lumbar vertebrathe L1-7 height first increased and then decreased, and the shortest height was in the L7, which was (1.12±0.18) cm. L1 vertebral body exhibited the shortest transverse diameter, (1.03±0.15) cm, and the longitudinal diameter did not differ significantly among vertebrae. The transverse and longitudinal diameters of L1-6 spinal canals were on a rise, but decreased abruptly at L7. The pedicle width of L1-7 increased gradually;the pedicle height of L1-5 increased gradually, and then began to decrease markedly, and the shortest at L7, (0.58±0.11) cm. The width and length of L1-6 spinous process increased steadily, but decreased at L7. The length of L1-3 transverse process increased gradually, tended to be steady at L3-6, and increased notably at L6-7;there were significant differences in the transverse process angle at L1-6, but the angle increased markedly to (58±2)° at L7, (2) These results indicate that the internal and external structures of lumbar vertebrae and changes of different segments are obtained through morphological measurement of lumbar vertebrae in New Zealand white rabbit, which provides a detailed anatomical data for relative animal experiments.