BACKGROUND To evaluate the maximal sectional area (SA) of the rectus capitis posterior minor (RCPmi) muscle and its potential correlation with to be named ligament (TBNL) in the suboccipital area using 3D MR imaging. METHODS A total of 365 subjects underwent sagittal 3D T2WI MR imaging of the RCPmi and TBNL. Among them, 45 subjects were excluded due to a particular clinical history or poor image quality. Finally, 320 subjects met the inclusion criteria, including 138 men and 182 women. The 624 RCPmi muscles were classified into positive and negative groups according to their attachment to the TBNL. Two experienced radiologists manually measured the maximum SA of the RCPmi muscle on the parasagittal image with a 30° deviation from the median sagittal plane. The correlations between the SA and the subject's age, height, BMI, gender, handedness, and age-related disc degeneration were tested by Spearman analysis. The SA differences between different groups were compared using independent samples t-test. RESULTS A total of 123 RCPmi-TBNL attachments were identified in the positive group, while 501 RCPmi muscles were identified in the negative group. The SA of the 624 RCPmi muscles was 62.71 ± 28.72 mm2 and was poorly correlated with the subject's age, BMI, or handedness, with no correlation with age-related disc degeneration. A fair correlation was found between the SA and the body height in the whole group, and poor correlation in each male/female group. The SA of the RCPmi muscle in males was significantly bigger than that in women ([75.54 ± 29.17] vs. [52.74 ± 24.07] mm2). The SA of RCPmi muscle in the positive group was significantly smaller than that in the negative group ([55.95 ± 26.76] mm2 vs. [64.37 ± 28.97] mm2). CONCLUSIONS Our results revealed a significantly smaller SA of the RCPmi in subjects with RCPmi-TBNL attachment. Besides, a larger SA of the RCPmi was correlated with the male gender. These findings suggest that the SA of the RCPmi ought to be interpreted with care for each patient since there could be considerable variations.

中文翻译：

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3D MR成像中小直肌后壁炎的截面积与韧带之间的关系。

背景技术使用3D MR成像技术评估枕下肌直肌后壁小肌（RCPmi）的最大截面积（SA）及其与枕下亚区韧带（TBNL）的潜在相关性。方法共有365名受试者接受了RCPmi和TBNL的矢状3D T2WI MR成像。其中，有45名受试者由于特定的临床病史或图像质量较差而被排除在外。最后，有320名受试者符合入选标准，其中包括138名男性和182名女性。根据624个RCPmi肌肉对TBNL的依附性分为正组和负组。两名经验丰富的放射科医生手动测量了矢状旁图像上RCPmi肌肉的最大SA，与矢状中位平面偏离30°。SA与受试者的年龄，身高，BMI，性别，惯用性，与年龄相关的椎间盘退变通过Spearman分析进行测试。使用独立样本t检验比较不同组之间的SA差异。结果阳性组中共鉴定出123个RCPmi-TBNL附件，阴性组中鉴定出501个RCPmi-TBNL肌肉。624根RCPmi肌肉的SA为62.71±28.72 mm2，与受试者的年龄，BMI或惯用性无关，与年龄相关的椎间盘退变没有相关性。在整个组中，SA与身高之间存在合理的相关性，而在每个男性/女性组中，相关性均较弱。男性RCPmi肌肉的SA显着大于女性（[75.54±29.17] mm2 [52.74±24.07] mm2）。阳性组的RCPmi肌肉的SA显着小于阴性组（[55。95±26.76] mm2与[64.37±28.97] mm2）。结论我们的研究结果显示，在患有RCPmi-TBNL的受试者中，RCPmi的SA明显较小。此外，RCPmi的较大SA与男性相关。这些发现表明，RCPmi的SA应该谨慎对待，因为可能会有很大差异。