To assess the level of the conus medullaris using spinal ultrasonography, bony landmarks such as the lowest ribs, the most caudal ossification center (MCOC) of the vertebral body, and angulation in the lumbosacral region are used. However, determining the level of the conus medullaris is sometimes difficult because of the variations of these landmarks. Purpose of this study was to analyze the variation of these landmarks. However, it is difficult to evaluate these variations using ultrasonography, because this method allows a narrow field of view. To supplement this limitation, we tried to evaluate these landmarks retrospectively using (1) whole spine CT or (2) lumbosacral CT in combination with chest radiography. Read More

Meeting name: IPR 2016 Conjoint Meeting & Exhibition , 2016

Authors: Tsutsumi Yoshiyuki, Okamoto Reiko, Miyasaka Mikiko, Miyazaki Osamu, Ishii Masaya, Muto Ayako, Okada Haruka, Hara Hiroko, Nosaka Shunsuke

Keywords: spine, CT, ultrasound, variation