Clinical applied anatomical study between the uncinate process of the cervical spine and the vertebral artery

Objective Reveal the changing rule of the positional relationship between the uncinate process of cervical spine and vertebral artery by measuring the relevant parameters between the uncinate process of cervical spine and vertebral artery in different age groups. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 1240 cases of cervical spine imaging data from 2018 to 2021 in the Radiology Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University. The distance between the uncinate process superior ridge and vertebral artery and the maximum of pedicle transverse angle, the minimum of pedicle transverse angle, the range of pedicle transverse angle and the pedicle width were measured according to age groups. Results The distance between the uncinate process superior ridge and vertebral artery increased with age. The maximum of pedicle transverse angle, the minimum of pedicle transverse angle and the range of pedicle transverse angle decreased with aging. The pedicle width increased with age and vertebral sequence. C₃ and C₇ showed significant differences in the distance between the uncinate process superior ridge and vertebral artery, the maximum of pedicle transverse angle and the minimum of pedicle transverse angle, the range of pedicle transverse angle and the pedicle width among age groups (P<0.05). In the correlation analysis, age was positively correlated with the distance between the uncinate process superior ridge and vertebral artery (r=0.13), pedicle width (r=0.29), and negatively correlated with the maximum (r=-0.06), minimum (r=-0.03), and the range of pedicle transverse angle (r=-0.05). Conclusion The anatomical relationship between the uncinate process and the vertebral artery plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis. Understanding the significant differences in the anatomical parameters of different segments between age groups, sequences and sides can ensure the safety of the operation. It can provide important theoretical basis and technical support for the imaging evaluation of vertebral artery type cervical spondylosis and the selection of screw Angle and screw diameter matching in anterior/posterior cervical surgery.