Zekiye Karaca Bozdag; Buse Naz Candir Gürses; Roger W. Soames & Abduelmenem Alashkham

The study aimed to analyse the morphometric characteristics of dry thoracic vertebrae from the Anatolian (AP) and British populations (BP) to evaluate the differences between these populations and to provide a database for clinicians in clinical practices, especially during surgical procedures. The study examined 183 dry thoracic vertebrae (age, sex, and level unknown). 59 were excluded (morphological deformities or reference points), and 124 were analyzed (Anatolian: 14; British: 110). All measurements were taken with digital calipers (0.01 mm) and a goniometer. Play-dough was used to elevate and position each vertebra according to its anatomical position. The accuracy of posture was checked using a spirit level. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS (IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28.0), and a p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Corpus vertebral width, anteroposterior distance, foramen transverse distance, left pedicle height, pedicle screw path length, and transverse angle were significantly different between populations. While corpus vertebra width, anteroposterior distance, left pedicle height, screw path length, and left pedicle transverse angle were found to be higher in the Anatolian population (p<0.05), significant positive correlations were found between left pedicle screw path length and pedicle angles in the British population (r=0.21, p=0.027). This study showed that there were significant differences in the morphometric properties of thoracic vertebrae between Anatolian and British populations. These results emphasize the importance of population-specific reference values in pedicle screwing and spinal deformity surgeries.

KEY WORDS: Dry bones; Thoracic vertebrae; Morphometry; Racial differences.

KARACA BOZDAG, Z.; CANDIR GÜRSES, B. N.; SOAMES, R. W. & ALASHKHAM, A. Morphometry of thoracic vertebrae using dry specimens. Int. J. Morphol., 43(6):2015-2023, 2025.