Applications of digital technology for the morphological study of C3-C7 vertebral arch pedicle in children.

Background: This study aims to investigate the morphological characteristics and developmental patterns of the vertebral arch pedicle (VAP) in the lower cervical vertebrae of children, and to subsequently help guide the implantation of the pedicle screw. Materials and methods: The cervical vertebral multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) data of 60 paediatric patients aged 4-12 years were collected and grouped. A reconstructed 3-dimensional model measured the following: pedicle width (PW), pedicle height (PH), pedicle osseous channel (POCL), pedicle transverse angle (PTA, namely the E angle), and pedicle sagittal angle (PTA, namely the F angle). Results: We calculated the ratio of PW/PH (I value) to assess the statistical difference between age groups and segments. The PW, PH, POCL, and E angles exhibited an overall increasing trend with increasing age. The PW, PH, and POCL of each vertebra in group C showed statically significant differences compared to groups A and B (p < 0.05). The PW of different vertebral sequences in each group showed a gradually increasing trend. The intervertebral F angle among different groups showed the biggest difference, a change from positive values to negative values gradually, among which the negative value of C7's F angle was the largest. The I value exhibited an overall decreasing trend with increasing age. Conclusions: The morphological characteristics and development of the different pedicle segments exhibited obvious patterns. In the lower cervical vertebrae of children over 7 years of age, the vertebrae had the feasibility for the implantation of pedicle screws.