1.Technical essentials of continuous and symmetrical curve planar reformation post-processing for cervical vertebral bony structures
Wen JIANG ; Rui ZHU ; Erxu LI ; Jiarui LI ; Shaoping WU
Journal of Practical Radiology 2024;40(11):1892-1896
Objective To explore the key of post-processing techniques for continuous and symmetrical display of cervical verte-bral bony structures using curve planar reformation(CPR).Methods Data from 150 patients who underwent cervical spine CT scans were collected and divided into three groups based on cervical curvature:normal,straightened,and kyphotic.A multi-slice CPR post-processing method was designed,using the display rate of structures such as C2/C3 to C6/C7 intervertebral foramina,uncovertebral joints,facet joints,and pedicles of vertebral arch as the measurement index to find the optimal site and angle for CPR baseline selection.Additionally,the consistency of the intervertebral foramen diameter and area measurements on both sides of the CPR baseline level,as well as the normal appearance of the cervical vertebral bony structures during baseline translation were observed.Results The optimal site for the CPR baseline was C4/C5 with a best angle of 100° for normal or straightened cervical curvature,and C5/C6 with a best angle of 100° for kyphotic curvature.At these baseline levels,the measurements of the longitudinal and transverse diameters,as well as the area,of the intervertebral foramina on both sides were similar,providing a valuable comparison.When translating the baseline forwards and backwards,CPR could continuously and symmetrically display the cervical vertebral bony structures clearly.Conclusion Performing multi-slice CPR image post-processing based on the aforementioned baseline sites and angles aids in the comparison of the left and right sides,facili-tating the convenient and intuitive detection of subtle abnormalities in cervical vertebral bony structures.