Differences of the Morphology of Subaxial Cervical Spine Endplates between Chinese and White Men and Women

Objective. The aim of this comparative anatomical study was to specifically investigate endplate morphology differences between Chinese and White men and women. Materials and Methods. Three-dimensional cervical endplate models were constructed using computed tomography imaging of 41 healthy Chinese and 24 White subjects. The morphologic measurements of cervical endplate included linear parameters (EPWu: upper endplate width; EPDu: upper endplate depth; EPWl: lower endplate width; and EPDl: lower endplate depth) and area parameters with a digital measuring system. Results. All linear parameters showed a constant increase from C3 to C7 except for EPDl in both the Chinese and the White subjects. An increase trend was observed on area parameters in both Chinese and White subjects. The ratio of EPWl/EPDl was smaller in Chinese females than in White females at C3, C4, and C6 levels (P<0.05). The ratio of EPWl/EPDl was significantly different between the Chinese and White men at C4-5 levels (P<0.05). Conclusions. Our data indicates that the morphology of subaxial cervical spine endplates between Chinese and White men and women is different in most of the linear and area parameters. This information could provide guidelines for the design of CDA implants and the improvement of surgical techniques.

Information Extension of Three-Dimensional Model for Coordinate Measurement

The process of coordinate measurement involves a large amount of data. This paper uses the IDEF0 and DFD model to analyze the measuring function requirements for solving the problem of ambiguous internal information flow and material flow during the measuring process and uses IDEF1X method to constitute information model of coordinate measurement. The information is extended on the three-dimensional model generated by using the MBD (model based definition) technology. It enables us to specify the measurement process and reduce the specification uncertainty of the digital measuring system. In addition, the extended information could have been inputted for the subsequent process such as process planning, data analysis and evaluation of measurement results.