ABSTRACT
Surgical treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration aims to restore the height of the disc space and the release of involved neurological structures. Like any surgical treatment in orthopedics, the success or failure of the lumbar procedure involves the possibility of performing an adequate planning of each particular event. In the case of lumbar stabilization surgery with interbody fusion, it is essential to know the ideal height of the disc space for the fusion to be successful.
Objective:
To demonstrate that the ideal height of the disc space corresponds approximately to one third of the height of the vertebral body.
Methods:
X-ray images were taken in AP and lateral views of hospital residents to measure L4-L5 vertebral bodies as well as the disc space. The rule of three was used to check the height of the disc and vertebral bodies.
Results:
It was verified that the disc space corresponds to 31% of the size of the vertebral body, taking 0.31 as the constant.
Conclusions:
The size of the disc corresponds to one third of the vertebral body, taking 0.31 as the constant. The multiplication of the constant by the height of the vertebral body results in the exact height of the disc. Thus, in the presence of degeneration of the intervertebral disc, it is possible to know the size of the disc and, therefore, the size of the interbody cage.
Keywords:
Intervertebral disc degeneration; Diskectomy; Spinal fusion.
