Morphometry of vertebral endplate by sex.
| Sex | n | Mean ± SD (Range) | ||
| AP Diameter, mm | RL Diameter, mm | AP/RL Ratio, mm | ||
| L2 endplate (L2/3) | ||||
| Men | 10 | 35.4 ± 2.9 (30–40) | 49.2 ± 2.1 (46–53) | 0.72 ± 0.06 (0.62–0.8) |
| Women | 10 | 33.4 ± 2.6 (30–38) | 46.6 ± 4.6 (40–53) | 0.72 ± 0.05 (0.64–0.84) |
| P (men vs women) | NS | NS | NS | |
| L3 endplate (L3/4) | ||||
| Men | 10 | 34.7 ± 2.0 (32–37) | 50.3 ± 2.2 (47–52) | 0.69 ± 0.05 (0.6–0.77) |
| Women | 17 | 33.2 ± 2.7 (30–38) | 47.2 ± 4.4 (40–55) | 0.70 ± 0.08 (0.62–0.93) |
| P (men vs women) | NS | <0.05 | NS | |
| L4 endplate (L4/5) | ||||
| Men | 8 | 33.8 ± 2.3 (32–38) | 52.6 ± 2.6 (48–55) | 0.64 ± 0.05 (0.58–0.71) |
| Women | 19 | 32.5 ± 2.1 (30–37) | 49.2 ± 3.4 (43–58) | 0.66 ± 0.04 (0.6–0.73) |
| P (men vs women) | NS | <0.05 | NS | |
| L5 endplate (L5/6,L5/S1) | ||||
| Men | 28 | 34.7 ± 2.4 (30–40) | 50.6 ± 2.6 (46–55) | 0.69 ± 0.01 (0.58–0.8) |
| Women | 46 | 33.0 ± 2.4 (30–38) | 47.9 ± 4.1 (40–58) | 0.69 ± 0.01 (0.6–0.93) |
| P (men vs women) | <0.01 | <0.01 | NS | |
| Total | 74 | 33.6 ± 2.5 (30–40) | 48.9 ± 3.9 (40–58) | 0.69 ± 0.06 (0.58–0.93) |
| P (disc levels) | NS | Men: <0.05 Women: NS | <0.05 | |
Abbreviations: AP, anteroposterior; NS, not significant; RL, lateral.