Before evaluating spinal pathology, it is essential to have knowledge of the normal spinal development at different gestational ages. Postmortem magnetic resonance imaging was performed on 55 fetuses (gestational ages, 17–42 weeks) by using three-dimensional T2-weighted sequences. The volumes of interest were manually outlined for the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and L1–L5 centrum ossification centers (COCs), and the COC volumes (COCVs) were calculated. The cervical, thoracic, and lumbar COCVs showed a positive relationship with gestational age.The cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and L1–L5 COCVs show good correlation with gestational age in the second and third trimesters.
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