Virginie Callot1, Lo Fradet2, 3, Jean-Philippe Ranjeva1, Patrick J. Cozzone1, Pierre-Jean Arnoux2, Yvan Petit3, 4
1Centre de Rsonance Magntique Biologique et Mdicale (CRMBM), CNRS, Aix-Marseille Univ, Marseille, France; 2Laboratoire de Biomcanique Applique (LBA), INRETS, Universit de la Mditerrane, Marseille, France; 3Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ecole de Technologie Suprieure (ETS), Montral, Canada; 4Research Center, Hpital du Sacr-Coeur, Montral, Canada
Most of the recent finite element models (FEM) of the human spinal cord (SC) are based on postmortem specimens geometry measured on a few vertebral segments. The present study, based on MR examination of cervical and thoraco-lumbar SC of healthy volunteers, was undertaken to identify recurrent features among individuals and to determine if post mortem measurements are likely to significantly represent in vivo geometric characteristics of the spinal cord.