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Thinner diameter causes C5 nerve to sustain more damage during surgery
The thinner diameter of the C5 nerve root may be the reason it is more susceptible to damage during cervical surgery than the C6 or C7 nerve roots, according to researchers.
In a prospective study including 219 healthy volunteers, researchers examined the diameter, transverse diameter and cross-sectional area of the C5, C6 and C7 nerve roots using ultrasonography to see whether the thickness of the roots varied. The researchers used single linear regression to assess the relationship, if any, between the volunteers’ height and the diameter, transverse diameter and cross-sectional area at each nerve root.
After measuring for these variables in each of the volunteers’ three nerve roots, the researchers found that, in both males and females, the C5 nerve root was significantly thinner than either the C6 or C7 nerve roots. They also found the C7 nerve root to be smaller than the C6.
The transverse diameter on both sides of the C5 nerve root was significantly larger in women than in men, according to the researchers. Based on data from published literature reporting that male sex is one of the risk factors significantly associated with postoperative C5 palsy, the researchers concluded that the smaller C5 nerve root in males could be a reason why C5 nerve palsy occurs in more men than women.
Disclosure: The authors have no relevant financial disclosures.