Validity and Reproducibility of Various Measurement Methods for Craniocervical Sagittal Balance

Study Design: A cross-sectional study. Objective: To identify the best indicator for reproducible representation of craniocervical sagittal balance (CCSB). Summary of Background Data: Spinal sagittal balance is considered one of the most critical factors affecting the health-related quality of life. Although standard indicators of spinopelvic balance have been established, these do not include the craniocervical balance and there is no standard parameter for evaluating the CCSB. Materials and Methods: Six kinds of sagittal vertical axis (SVA) were drawn by a total of 9 spine or orthopedic surgeons, from the anterior margin of the external auditory canal: cranial center of gravity (CCG), C1 (center of the anterior arch), C2 (C2vb: center of the vertebral body, C2e: center of the lower endplate), and C7 (C7vb: center of the vertebral body, C7p: posterosuperior corner). Eight SVA distances were measured by using 30 radiographs; CCG–C7vb, C1–C7vb, C2e–C7vb, C2vb–C7vb, CCG–C7p, C1–C7p, C2e–C7p, and C2bv–C7p.The interobserver and intraobserver reliabilities, and the correlations between CCG and C1, C2e, or C2bv were calculated among the main groups or subgroups. Results: In the overall analysis, although the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) (1, 1) of all parameters were>0.900, the ICC (2, 1) of CCG–C7p and CCG–C7vb were
Source: Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques - Category: Surgery Tags: Primary Research Source Type: research