Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
Nan Fang Hospital of Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
PLoS One. 2016 Feb 11;11(2):e0148610. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0148610. eCollection 2016.
Animals are commonly used to model the human spine for in vitro and in vivo experiments. Many studies have investigated similarities and differences between animals and humans in the lumbar and thoracic vertebrae. However, a quantitative anatomic comparison of calf, pig, and human cervical spines has not been reported.
To compare fundamental structural similarities and differences in vertebral bodies from the cervical spines of commonly used experimental animal models and humans.
Anatomical morphometric analysis was performed on cervical vertebra specimens harvested from humans and two common large animals (i.e., calves and pigs).
Multiple morphometric parameters were directly measured from cervical spine specimens of twelve pigs, twelve calves and twelve human adult cadavers. The following anatomical parameters were measured: vertebral body width (VBW), vertebral body depth (VBD), vertebral body height (VBH), spinal canal width (SCW), spinal canal depth (SCD), pedicle width (PW), pedicle depth (PD), pedicle inclination (PI), dens width (DW), dens depth (DD), total vertebral width (TVW), and total vertebral depth (TVD).
The atlantoaxial (C1-2) joint in pigs is similar to that in humans and could serve as a human substitute. The pig cervical spine is highly similar to the human cervical spine, except for two large transverse processes in the anterior regions ofC4-C6. The width and depth of the calf odontoid process were larger than those in humans. VBW and VBD of calf cervical vertebrae were larger than those in humans, but the spinal canal was smaller. Calf C7 was relatively similar to human C7, thus, it may be a good substitute.
Pig cervical vertebrae were more suitable human substitutions than calf cervical vertebrae, especially with respect to C1, C2, and C7. The biomechanical properties of nerve vascular anatomy and various segment functions in pig and calf cervical vertebrae must be considered when selecting an animal model for research on the spine.
动物常用于体外和体内实验来模拟人类脊柱。许多研究已经调查了腰椎和胸椎中动物与人之间的相似之处和不同之处。然而，牛、猪和人颈椎的定量解剖比较尚未报道。
比较常用实验动物模型和人颈椎椎体的基本结构相似性和差异性。
对从人以及两种常见大型动物（即小牛和猪）的颈椎标本进行解剖形态计量学分析。
直接从 12 头猪、12 头小牛和 12 具成人尸体的颈椎标本上测量多个形态计量参数。测量以下解剖参数：椎体宽度（VBW）、椎体深度（VBD）、椎体高度（VBH）、椎管宽度（SCW）、椎管深度（SCD）、椎弓根宽度（PW）、椎弓根深度（PD）、椎弓根倾斜度（PI）、齿状突宽度（DW）、齿状突深度（DD）、总椎体宽度（TVW）和总椎体深度（TVD）。
猪的寰枢（C1-2）关节类似于人类，可以作为人类的替代物。猪颈椎与人类颈椎高度相似，除了 C4-C6 前部的两个大横突。牛的齿状突的宽度和深度大于人类，牛颈椎的 VBW 和 VBD 大于人类，但椎管较小。小牛的 C7 与人类 C7 较为相似，因此可能是一个较好的替代物。
与小牛颈椎相比，猪颈椎更适合作为人类替代物，特别是对于 C1、C2 和 C7。在选择动物模型进行脊柱研究时，必须考虑神经血管解剖和各种节段功能的生物力学特性。
