PLoS ONE (Jan 2016)

Spheno-Occipital Synchondrosis Fusion Correlates with Cervical Vertebrae Maturation.

  • María José Fernández-Pérez,
  • José Antonio Alarcón,
  • James A McNamara,
  • Miguel Velasco-Torres,
  • Erika Benavides,
  • Pablo Galindo-Moreno,
  • Andrés Catena

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0161104
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11, no. 8
p. e0161104

Abstract

Read online

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the closure stage of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis and the maturational stage of the cervical vertebrae (CVM) in growing and young adult subjects using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). CBCT images with an extended field of view obtained from 315 participants (148 females and 167 males; mean age 15.6 ±7.3 years; range 6 to 23 years) were analyzed. The fusion status of the synchondrosis was determined using a five-stage scoring system; the vertebral maturational status was evaluated using a six-stage stratification (CVM method). Ordinal regression was used to study the ability of the synchondrosis stage to predict the vertebral maturation stage. Vertebrae and synchondrosis had a strong significant correlation (r = 0.89) that essential was similar for females (r = 0.88) and males (r = 0.89). CVM stage could be accurately predicted from synchondrosis stage by ordinal regression models. Prediction equations of the vertebral stage using synchondrosis stage, sex and biological age as predictors were developed. Thus this investigation demonstrated that the stage of spheno-occipital synchondrosis, as determined in CBCT images, is a reasonable indicator of growth maturation.