ROENTGENOLOGICALLY IDENTIFIABLE CHANGES IN THE VERTEBRAL COLUMN OF YOUNG ASYMPTOMATIC MALES

Purpose: To find reliable data of the incidence of different variations of the spine. Material and methods: Standardised radiographic: examinations of 10,922 young, healthy pilot aspirants of the German air force were made. Radiographic examination included the whole spine in a.p. and lateral projection, the cervical spine in oblique projection and in a subunit of 5781 men the lumbar spine in oblique projection. Results: The following incidences were found: mild habit scoliosis: 80.4%, structural scoliosis: 9%, severe thoracal kyphosis without severe lumbarlordosis: 5.1% and together with severe lumbarlordosis: 30.8%, mild forms of kyphosis of adolescence: 23.3%, severe forms: 2.1% and cuneiform deformation of vertebral body: 4.9%, sacralisation: 7.8%, lumbalisation: 5.9%, spondylolysis: 6.2%, spondylolisthesis: 4.3% and lumbar chondrosis: 2.1%. Chondrosis of the thoracal and cervical spine, osteochondrosis and coalescent vertebral bodies were found in less than 0.8% each. Conclusion: In only 2.6% were there no pathological findings. This shows importance of radiological spine examinations especially for industrial and preventive medicine.