Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29741445›Full record

ArticleThe neuroradiology journal2018

Cervical spine taper ratios: Normal tolerance limits.

Adrienne Thompson, Ryan Zea, Victor Haughton

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The neuroradiology journal, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Associations of Chiari-1 malformation and syringomyelia with osseous cervical spinal canal diameter in the pediatric spine.Child's nervous system : ChNS : official journal of the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Adrienne Thompson1 University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Ryan Zea3 Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA.
Victor Haughton4 School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background Spinal canal tapering, which can be measured as taper ratios, affects cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics. We calculated the tolerance interval for normal cervical spine taper ratios to facilitate the detection of abnormal taper ratios. Methods We collected a series of patients who had cervical spine magnetic resonance studies reported as normal. We measured anteroposterior diameters of the cervical spine and calculated C1-C4, C4-C7, and C1-C7 taper by standard methodology. We calculated the normal tolerance limits for taper ratios and compared results of this study with data in previous reports on taper ratios. Results We enrolled 78 patients aged 2-55 years. The 99% tolerance limits for the taper ratios for C1-C4, C4-C7, and C1-C7 were -0.31 to +0.09, -0.11 to +0.14, and -0.13 to +0.05 cm/level, respectively. Age and sex were not significant variables for taper ratios. Taper ratios in this study agreed with those reported for controls in previous studies. Patients with syringomyelia in previous reports tended to have taper ratios outside the normal tolerance limits. Conclusion Normal limits of the cervical taper ratios are reported.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultCervical VertebraeChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMagnetic Resonance ImagingMaleMiddle AgedOrgan SizeReference ValuesRetrospective StudiesSex CharacteristicsSpinal CanalYoung AdultanatomyCervical spinemagnetic resonance

Identifiers

PMID29741445
PMCPMC6136134

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.