CT of the cervical spondylosis

We studied the localization of osteophytes in 28 patients with cervical spondylosis. Osteophytes of posterior part of body were classified into four types by transverse computed tomography, that are unilateral, bilateral, median and mixed (median + unilateral, median + bilateral) types. And posterior parts of body were divided into upper and lower parts in lateral roentogenogram. There were 73 osteophytes evaluated. Two thirds of ostephytes were distributed to lower part of the body in roentogenograms. In classification of CT, fifty-five percent of osteophytes were central type (median and mixed type), but lateral type (unilateral and bilateral types) occupied forty-five percent of them. Evaluation of osteophytes by CT seemed to be useful in surgical opproach. (author)