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Normal and Abnormal Growth of Spine

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Non-Idiopathic Spine Deformities in Young Children

Abstract

Axial skeleton has two rapid growth periods from birth to 5 years and during puberty. The length of spine will nearly triple in length between birth and adulthood: At birth the vertebral column (C1-sacrum) is approximately 24 cm long while at maturity 65 cm in women and 70 cm in men. The growth of spine, thoracic cage, and lungs are closely associated with each other. Disturbance within spinal or thoracic growth will adversely affect lung growth and maturation. A critical length for thoracic spine needed for sufficient lung volume appears to be 18 cm, which is the length of normal thoracic spine at the age of 5 years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Turku Children’s Hospital, Turku University Central Hospital, Kiinamyllynkatu 4-8, Turku, FIN-20521, Finland

    Ilkka J. Helenius

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  1. Ilkka J. Helenius
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Correspondence to Ilkka J. Helenius .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Orthopedics & Traumatology, Hacettepe University, Sihhiye, Ankara, 06100, Turkey

    Muharrem Yazici

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Helenius, I.J. (2011). Normal and Abnormal Growth of Spine. In: Yazici, M. (eds) Non-Idiopathic Spine Deformities in Young Children. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19417-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19417-7_1

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