Computed Tomography Study of the Biometric and Morphometric Characteristics of the Occipital Condyles among Malaysian Population

Abstract

Background: The occipital condyles connect the cranium to the upper cervical spine. It is an important component for the motion and stabilization of the craniocervical junction. The accessibility of the occipital condyles should be carefully determined to ensure success of cranioservical fixation techniques. It is known that the race and or the gender can affect the anatomical parameters. Aim: this research aimed to use radiographical analysis with computed tomographic (CT) scanning to determine the characteristics of the occipital condyles shape and measurements among the Malaysian population. A retrospective study was conducted in Hospital Shah Alam, Selangor, Malayasia, to include 96 occipital condyles (20 females and 28 males) adult Malaysian aged more than 20 years old. Methods: Studies were done on multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) scanner with volumeteric acquisition and multiplanar reconstruction deploying High Resolution Bone Window Alogrithm in axial, sagittal and coronal planes. Six measurements were studied; Occipital Condyle Width in axial plane, length in axial and sagittal planes, Occipital condyle height in sagittal and coronal planes and screw angle. Results: Measurements are bilaterally symmetrical and also the screw angle that is has mean measurement as 31.47±5.47 and 30.95±6.99 degree on the left and right side respectively. Generally male measurements are bigger than females. The kidney shape occipital condyles are the most common among Malaysian males and females. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the Malaysian population have generally identical measurements that can represent a tool for characterization of the Malaysian population and it is recommended to have wider and deeper studies to look for subracial variations and to compare the Malaysian with other races.